Lost and Found
by Lynnutte
Summary: Dyson finds a rock. Suddenly he finds he has more than he bargained for. (Introduces a new character. Please let me know what you think. This is my first time posting my writing anywhere. I have the story finished but will publish 1 or 2 chapters at a time. Thanks to KJay99 for putting up with my obsession and pushing me to publish this. Not all story is written in first person)
1. Prologue

Prologue

She sat in a tree next to the trail. Her black cloak pulled around her, eyes closed, listening. If anyone had bothered to look they wouldn't have seen her. She was good at her job. Her mission this time was to ambush and kill. Almost always her mission was to kill. Killing never bothered her. Nothing ever bothered her. As long as it was what her master wanted she would do it and never lose a moments sleep. That is when she was allowed to sleep. She didn't need it. Didn't need food or drink either, though going without for long periods of time wasn't pleasant. She still felt the pain that comes from not eating or drinking, but the magic that made her so good at her job also made such human needs unnecessary. It wouldn't kill her.

Her master, the King, wanted her to kill one of his best and most loyal warriors. He wanted this guy's wife for himself and was willing to do anything to get what he wanted. Not like she cared. It never mattered to her why her master wanted anything. All that mattered was she did as he commanded. This time was no exception. But she had seen this man fight for his king many times. Follow every command without question, including the command to go on this fool's errand that would lead him straight to her, to his death. She felt nothing, but she was…. unsettled.

She heard a horse approaching and gathered her legs under her as she watched for it. One of the men her master sent with her whistled, signaling its approach. The men were useless to her. They made too much noise and insisted on telling her things she already knew. She had told her master sending more men was unnecessary, but it was his will so she accepted it. She prepared to launch herself and knock her prey off his steed. She knew he would be alone. This was too easy.

…

She left the dead men where they lay. After her initial jump, she let her prey kill most of the others the king had sent with her first. Her master never said the men had to return, only that she was to return and let him know when it was finished. She waited just outside the fray for the warrior to dispatch them. He spotted her and decided to attack, but one of the remaining men stepped between them. No one got between her and her kill and lived. She decided it would simply be easier to fight through him and throw him aside than to fight around him. By the time she approached the warrior he was worn down. His sword hung limply at his side. She would much rather have fought the warrior by herself, but the choice was not hers. Stumbling, he parried her first few feigned thrusts, but he was too tired to fight any more. Not that it would have done him any good. A few slashes of her swords to the abdomen and he fell to the ground. She knew he would never get up again.

She stood over her prey and raised her sword to deal the killing blow. She felt her master impatiently calling her. She would have liked to have given the warrior a quick, clean death. He had fought well and she had to honor that but there wasn't time. Her master was calling and she had to obey. She walked off, turning into mist as she went. Returning to her master, she let him know it was done.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Selah

It's been centuries since I was let out of this torture chamber. This house of horrors designed to teach me all the pain and suffering my kind caused through the millennia. It's a lesson I have learned well. Before I was thrown in here I felt nothing. No emotions. I was numb. All that mattered was doing as I was commanded. But I have been forced to live and relive the pain and misery of others for far too long to ever be that way again.

I was forced to live the memory of a groom waiting at the altar for his… my bride. I remember watching her walk down the aisle, feeling the incredible joy of starting our new life together. And then the unbelievable pain and agony as I watched helpless as the assassin appeared before her, stabbing her through the heart, only to disappear again into mist. I remember being a little girl in my village, playing with my brother before the screaming started. I watched a cloaked figure stride through our village. He was tall and lean. His sharp, hawkish face showed no emotion. No care for the chaos he caused as he went killing everyone in his path, including me.

Understand these are not my memories, not my life. But I lived them and I remember them as if they were my own. I saw what they saw, felt what they felt. I remember what they remember. The pain may have happened years ago for them, but for me it's been only seconds. It's still fresh in my mind.

My name is Selah. It means dark warrior. It was given to me by the ones who created me. I am a Foundling. Once we were human. We were taken as infants by a race called the Changlings and turned into the most lethal assassins known to Fae kind. We know no fear, no compassion, and no remorse. That is until I was thrown in here. Many people think we are a myth, a figment of someone's imagination, shadows on the wall. We are the Fae version of the Boogyman. The story Fae parents tell their kids to scare them into behaving. But even the Boogyman fears us.


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Dyson

Bo had just set a small chest on the bar in front of me to look through and went back into the basement of the Dal to see what else Trick had squirreled away down there. We were looking for something to help us track a Pixie that might have information about a case I was working on.

I opened the chest. It was filled with a few rings, charms, pendants, the occasional twig, and a rock. Smiling I picked up the rock to examine it. It was obsidian, a black rock that in ancient times was used to make weapons. This one was almost impossibly black. Turning it over in my hand I noticed how the shiny surface reflected red light back at you. Sniffing it, I could neither smell nor sense any magic about it. It was interesting but ordinary. Why would Trick put an ordinary rock among magical artifacts?

I grinned to myself as I heard Trick and Bo rummaging around downstairs.

"Hey Trick!" I called to the old barkeep. "What's this rock?"

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw movement. Turning to get a better look, I noticed a black and red mist crawling across the old wooden floor. It seemed to be coming from everywhere, rolling and undulating as it moved, almost as if it were a living thing.

I stood up from my seat and side stepped my way around it. It pooled in a corner and seemed to be coalescing into a small lumpy blob. Moving closer to the basement door, I glanced over my shoulder and yelled, "Trick?"

"What rock?" The barkeep, a very short, but muscular man asked as he appeared in the doorway. His eyes nearly popped out of his head as he noticed the mist gliding along his floor. I looked back in the corner. The blob looked almost fully formed.

Tricks hand shot out from his side as he tried to grab the rock that was still in my hand. But he was too far away. "Dyson! Don't touch that!" he yelled.

A human form, dressed in a black and red cloak, knelt in a corner just inside the front door of the Dal. The hood was pulled low over its face, shielding it from view. It stirred. With the same fluid motion as the mist it stood.

As it stood, the memory of a bar I frequented often in my younger days came to mind. A hooded and cloaked figure, similar to the one before me, found me in that old bar too. When I was younger, I was rash and impulsive. Feeling invincible, I had made many…. unwise choices and in the process, I had made someone powerful very angry and they had sent the cloaked figure kill me. It was only because a friend of mine had great timing that I escaped. Did someone send this one after me? Or was it Trick or Bo it had come for? I cocked my head to one side as the figure stepped slowly forward. Funny, I remember death being taller.


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Selah

I could feel the instant my prison changed hands. The instant I belonged to another. My vision went black as I quickly lost form and turned into mist. I could feel myself being pulled, to where I didn't know. I slid across something hard and flat. It wasn't cold like rock. Was it wood? The air around me was warm, but not like it was warmed by the sun. I must be inside and what I was gliding over must be a floor. I slithered in and out from between objects. Snaking around… what? Legs? They didn't feel like a living thing. Chairs? Tables? There were a lot of them so this must be a public place.

Even though I hadn't formed yet, I was starting to regain my sense of smell. I smelled stale beer, cheap food and... What was that? Wet dog? Great! It was a tavern and someone let a dog in. I was going to meet my new owner in a tavern. Was he drunk? Was my last master so drunk that he let a thief steal me? Do I belong to a common thief now? As my mist form gathered in a corner, I regained my hearing.

A yell from my left, "Dyson! Don't touch that!"

I knew that voice. My eyes began to see again as the rest of my body finished taking form. I could sense my new owner was close by. I could feel what he was feeling, a mixture of rage and fear.

The hood of my cloak shadowed my face, concealing it from view. I raised only my eyes to look at him. He was glaring right to me. As I stood, his ears grew pointed tips as his eyes turned black with yellow irises. His finger nails lengthened and turned into claws. His lips pulled back, exposing canine teeth that elongated as I watched. He let a feral snarl escape his clenched jaw. Well, that explained the wet dog smell.

As I stood, black mist enveloped my hands solidifying into two long, sharp swords. It always happens when I first appear to my new owner. Not something I can help. It's a byproduct of the magic used to make me what I am. I slowly advanced, holding my weapons out from my sides, trying to look nonthreatening. It seldom works if my new owner isn't expecting me. And this one definitely wasn't.

I saw him draw his clawed left hand back as he took 3 giant steps toward me. Crap! He was tall. I gripped my swords tightly, steeling myself for what I knew would come next. As he took the third step, closing the gap between us, he brought his hand quickly down raking my face. My head whipped to the right from the impact. I could feel his claws dig into my flesh as they left four jagged, bloody claw marks starting from under my ear reaching to the corner of my mouth. Damn that hurt! But I couldn't show it, couldn't let even the slightest hint escape. My training and pride wouldn't allow it.

I turned my head back in his direction. If I could have I would have responded in kind. But the first law of Foundlings is you can't hurt your owner. But believe me, I wanted to.

As I turned my head, I caught movement out of the corner of my eye. I glanced over to get a better look. It was him. That... that... little troll! The one who stuck me in that torture chamber, that hell hole! Making me relive over and over all the suffering my kind inflicted on others. I didn't just remember it or watch it. No, he made sure I felt it, lived it. Every cut, every broken bone, every severed limb or crushed body. I knew I recognized that voice. He was the one who shouted the warning. I turned my eyes back to the one in front of me. Crossing my swords, I laid them on the ground as I knelt at his feet.

"I am yours to command, Master."


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Trick

We were in the basement of my bar, the Dal Riata. I was helping Bo and Dyson look for a tracking pendant to find a Pixie they needed to talk to. He was proving to be more elusive then they had expected. I was searching the drawers of my desk as Bo came down the steps leading to the bar level of the building.

Pointing to a couple of chests sitting next to my vault, I suggested, "Why don't you check in those?"

She crossed over to the chests and crouched in front of them. Absent mindedly she opened one. Looking at the assorted contents, she remarked "You sure have collected a lot of stuff."

"Hm?" I responded as I turned my head to look at her. I nodded agreeing. "When you've lived as long as I have, you tend to."

I watched as she picked up a pretty gold necklace. The pendant was a single rose with a bloodstone in the center. I smiled. She had good taste. I chuckled to myself as I turned back to my desk. Of course she had good taste. She was my granddaughter. Being a succubus didn't hurt either.

Dyson's voice drifted down from the bar. "Trick?" I looked toward the stairs. "What's this rock?"

"Rock? I don't remember a rock in that chest." I walked toward the stairs and started up them.

"Trick?" I heard Dyson call more urgently.

Something was nagging at the back of my mind. Something I should remember, but couldn't. As I reached the top of the stairs, Dyson looked back at me. "What rock?" I asked.

That's when I saw it, the distinctive red and black mist rolling over the floor. It had already gathered in a corner and was taking shape. I reached out as I entered the bar, trying to grab the stone in Dyson's hand, but he was too far away. "Dyson! Don't touch that!" I tried to warn him, but the hooded figure had already regained its full form. It was too late.

I watched as the emotions on Dyson's face went from surprise to recognition to complete rage as he realized what that THING crouching in the corner was. He turned back toward it. I saw his finger nails become claws and the tips of his ears become pointed. He was facing away from me, but he had partially changed into his wolf form.

The thing that had entered my bar slowly stood as long curved blades appeared in its hands. Holding its swords out from its sides, it slowly crept toward him. Dyson drew his hand back to strike as he growled. He moved so quickly he was a blur as he closed the gap between himself and the cloaked monstrosity. He swung his heavy paw like hand dealing a blow that knocked its head to one side. That blow would have knocked any normal Fae to the floor, but this thing only turned its head back in Dyson's direction. It placed its crossed swords in front of it as it knelt at his feet. I heard it whisper something but couldn't catch the words. I didn't need to hear them. I knew what it was saying because I'd heard those words before.


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Bo

Trick had just gone upstairs when I heard him yell. We've been attacked a lot lately in the Dal even though it's supposed to be neutral territory. I tried to see into the bar as I ran up the stairs, but Trick was in the way.

Reaching the top of the stairs I drew my dagger. "What's going o…" I started. I noticed the dark shape in front of Dyson. "WHOAH! What's that?" All I could see was a dark cloak with blood red trim and two wicked looking swords lying on the floor between them. Trick turned and looked at me. Noticing my dagger he quickly pushed it aside and whispered "Put it away."

I put the dagger back in its sheath on my waist. "What's going on? I whispered back.

Suddenly Dyson turn on Trick. His all too human face filled with surprise and rage. "What the hell Trick?" he yelled.

Trick his made his way behind the bar and grabbed a rag to polish the glasses there. It's a nervous habit he has when he's been caught trying to hide something. Dyson pointed an accusing finger at him as he crossed to the bar.

"You told me you destroyed them all!" He demanded.

I looked at the figure in surprise as Dyson slammed the stone onto the bar. I saw it wince slightly, causing the cloak to open revealing black pants and a black shirt covered by a tight, black leather corset. Its thin arms were extended, hands balled into fists that were pressed hard against the floor. They were clenched so tight its knuckles turned white.

"It's a woman." I thought to myself as I turned back to the conversation.

Trick averted his eyes. "I thought I had." He shrugged.

"That!" Dyson pointed to the small woman. "That was in the chest!" He pointed back at Trick for emphasis. "Your chest! You swore to me they were gone!" He demanded. "You said you used your blood magic to get rid of all of them!"

Sheepishly Trick retorted "I did. It's not an exact science Dyson!" Trick sighed. "When I told you they were gone, I thought they were." He put the glass down on the bar. "I found that one a few years later. We both know magic has unintended side effects. Evidently this is one."

Dyson scowled at the barkeep and lowered his voice almost to a growl. "And you didn't tell me?"

Becoming angry, Trick scowled back. "You forget. I don't answer to you." He responded, throwing the rag onto the bar and angrily walking away.

Crossing to the bar I asked "Someone want to fill me in? Who is that?"

Trick stopped half way between the bar and the basement door. Turning around, he practically yelled "That THING is a Foundling."

"Ok" I said nodding my head. "What's a Foundling."

Brooding, Dyson glanced back at the figure as he fingered the stone in his hand. "The most deadly assassin known to Fae kind."

I jerked my thumb in the woman's direction. "That's an assassin?" I asked incredulously. "A little small don't you think?" I huffed out a laugh.

Trick returned to the bar. "Don't let her size fool you. Foundlings were created to kill, nothing more." He grabbed a bottle of scotch and a glass from behind the bar and poured a drink.

I raised my eyebrows. "Don't you mean born?"

He slid it across the bar to his friend as an offer of truce. Taking the drink Dyson slammed it back before he continued.

"No, created. They were born human."

"Human?"

"Yeah." He nodded. "They were stolen from their families soon after they were born and replaced."

"Replaced with what?"

"The offspring of Changlings." Trick interjected as he poured Dyson another drink.

"That's terrible."

Dyson sarcastically chuckled. "Saves on daycare." He sipped his drink.

"That's not even the bad part." Trick remarked. Dyson turned around on his stool to look at the figure. "The Changlings experimented on them. And this," he gestured with his drink at the figure still kneeling on the floor. "Was the result."

"A murdering psychopath that has no conscious, feels no pain, never grows old, is virtually unstoppable and damn near impossible to kill." Trick explained with disgust. "After the war between the light and dark Fae ended, it was decided they were too dangerous to have around, so they were gathered up and destroyed."

"If it's an unstoppable psychopath, why is she just sitting there?" I asked, pointing out the obvious.

Dyson looked at me. "Because it can't do anything unless it's master tells it too."

"Master?" I looked at him in surprise.

Dyson nodded. "Turns out what ever magic was used to create them bound them to the will of whoever possesses the stone. But the magic was unstable. If they were kept for too long, the Foundlings went insane and start killing everyone in sight. Including their own kind."

"The Changlings made a weapon they couldn't use." Tricked laughed. "They decided to sell the whole lot to try and recoup some of their losses from the experiments."

"So they sold ticking time bombs to the highest bidder?" I asked sarcastically. "That was nice."

Confused, Trick shook his head and grimly added, "It's strange. It seemed once they were sold and the Foundlings had new owners, the magic stabilized and…" He gestured figure in front of them.

"So why did her master send her and why is she just sitting there."

Trick scowled looking at Dyson. "Its master didn't send it, he called it."

"What? Dyson?" I giggled. I looked at Trick. "But she was in your chest, you had her. Dyson didn't know anything about her. Wouldn't that make you her master?"

"There are two ways a Foundling can change hands. If its master dies, whoever takes possession of its vessel," he gestured to the rock in Dyson's hand. "Becomes its new master, or it can be stolen." Trick explained. "As far as that thing is concerned," he gestured with his head. "Dyson stole it."

I looked at Dyson. "So what are you going to do with her?"

"I'm not sure. We have to keep it out of sight. No one can know it's here." Dyson told her.

"But where are you going to keep her?" I pressed.

"Bo," Dyson began, "you keep saying her. That thing isn't human or Fae. It's a weapon." He gently took my hand as he continued. "That's all it is and will ever be. Whatever part of it that was human died a long time ago."

"It's an abomination that should never have been created." Trick said as he started back down the basement stairs.

I looked at her as they said this. A slight tremor seemed to ripple through her and she was still again.


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

The small woman crouched on the floor, terrified. She hadn't been there for more than two minutes and her master had all ready ripped her face open, the one who imprisoned her was there poisoning his mind against her, and they were all talking about her like she wasn't even in the room. She trembled as anger welled up inside her threatening to spill out.

" _What was happening?_ " she wondered. " _What did all those years in_ _that prison do to me?_ " She glanced at Trick. " _What did he do to me?_ "

"It's an abomination that never should have been created." she heard him say. He hated her and she knew why.

Memories not her own flooded her mind. Memories of a life lived, yet not lived; a wife and daughter, a happy family. It hurt to know they were gone forever and he would never have them back. A single tear rolled down her cheek as she fought to keep control. She looked back at Trick. The memories were his, of a moment in his life. "No wonder he hates me." She thought. "How can anyone live with so much pain?"

They thought her a mindless killing machine. Maybe they were right, maybe she didn't deserve to live. Her head and shoulders sagged as waves of sadness and remorse washed over her. She realized she had never wanted to kill, but she didn't have a choice. She never had a choice. She had to do as she was commanded even if she didn't want to. It's a lesson she had been taught all her life. What she wanted didn't matter. All that mattered is what her master wanted.

Even though no one was looking at her, she was glad her hood concealed her face. When Dyson struck her she was prepared for the physical pain but she wasn't prepared for the maelstrom of emotions that flooded her. Anger at being attacked, hurt at being misunderstood, fear of what would happen if her master found out she was no longer a soulless killing machine. The new sensations were overwhelming and she wasn't prepared. She didn't know how well she could conceal her feelings.

Selah looked at her new master. " _What kind of man is he? What will_ _he demand of me?_ " She wondered. " _What will happen if I can't meet those_ _demands, or worse, refuse?_ " These thoughts scared her.

She had been made to do some really terrible things in her life. She didn't want to repeat them and she decided that she would fight as hard as she could not to.

Again memories flooded her mind, this time her own. It had been ages since her days of training. So long ago, that she had forgotten what it had been like for her before the magic had taken effect, back when she was still human and could feel. Then she had to rely only on herself and whatever skills she had been taught to complete the tasks she was given. She had to appear passive and emotionless. Failure in anyway was dealt with swiftly and without mercy. Those were days she didn't want to relive.

As she knelt there, blood trickled down her check and along her jaw line. Every so often a small drop would fall to the floor. A tiny puddle was beginning to form below it. She knew it would continue to do so until her master decided she had been punished enough. Any wound her owner caused would stay fresh and painful until he decided otherwise. And from the way things were looking, that didn't appear to be anytime soon.

Her master turned to look at her once again. Realizing she was still staring at him, she lowered her eyes to the floor, unwilling to do anything that might anger him. She also worried he would see the fear in her eyes.

As Dyson stood and pocketed the stone, he asked her "What's your name?"

"Selah, Master." She responded.

Bo was still holding Dyson's hand affectionately when she felt something wet on one of his fingertips. Bringing his hand up, she examined it. She could see drying blood clinging to his fingernails.

"Dyson, you're hurt!" She exclaimed, pulling his shirt up to find the source of the blood.

He looked at her confused and grabbed her hands to stop her from trying to undress him in the middle of the bar. "No I'm not. I…" it slowly dawned on him where the blood had come from. He looked at Selah and hurried over to the crouched woman tearing her hood back. It revealed thick, dark chestnut hair that was pulled back into an intricate braid and light, honey colored skin on an oval shaped face. Her otherwise flawless features were marred by the four bloody claw marks he had raked into it. Grabbing her chin, he turned her head so he could get a better look at the wounds. As he touched her, her swords turned back into mist. The movement of her head caused the skin on her face to stretch painfully, but Selah wasn't about to let it show.

"Get the first aid kit behind the bar." He urgently commanded Bo as he grabbed Selah. He could feel her body tense as he wrapped his fingers around her upper arms. The muscles flexed and rippled beneath the soft cloth of her blouse. She felt surprisingly strong but she was small and he easily lifted her to her feet. Pulling her over to the bar, he picked her up and set her on a barstool. Bo came back with the first aid kit and set it down on the bar. As she opened it, she scanned the other woman's face.

With a concerned look, she asked, "What happened? Are those claw marks?" She looked at Dyson accusingly. "Dyson! What did you do?"

Dyson frowned as he tore open the gauze he had just taken out of the kit. "It's not like I knew she wasn't here to kill us." He informed her. He threw the empty packaging onto the bar.

Taking the gauze, he folded it and pressed it to Selah's cheek. He made sure to make eye contact with her as he told her, "Hold this here." She had bright amber eyes with flecks of gold in the iris. She looked at him quizzically and he thought he saw a flicker of fear. As he drew closer, he could smell her blood mixed with fear. He hadn't expected that. She placed her hand over his, searching with her fingers for the gauze he was holding. Against his large hands, hers were almost childlike. As her fingers moved, he noticed how delicate and graceful they were. Her finger tips finally found the gauze and nodding she did as he commanded.

Turning back to Bo, Dyson continued. "This isn't the first time I've run into a Foundling and the last time I barely escaped with my life." Dyson opened a wet wipe and started to roughly clean the drying blood from Selah's cheek. When he had cleaned as much as he could, he opened another packet of gauze to replace the used one. Removing Selah's hand from her cheek with one hand, he held the old gauze in place with the other. He lifted up a small corner to see if the bleeding had stopped. He couldn't see the cuts so he lifted it up more. He removed the gauze completely. He and Bo watched as the last of the wounds Dyson's claws had caused quickly stopped bleeding and closed.

Selah bobbed her head in thanks and lowered her eyes. "Thank you Master."

Trick came up from the basement holding a silver necklace with a disk attached. The disk appeared to have Celtic writing on it.

"I found it!" he exclaimed, holding it aloft. He paused. Frowning, he tried to ignore the unwanted guest sitting comfortably on his barstool and made his way over to Bo.

Placing the necklace in her hand, he informed her "This will find your Pixie."

Bo held the necklace up to study it. "How does it work?"

"Well, if you look at the top…" Trick started to explain. As he reached up to point at it, the pendant started to glow a bright blue.

There was a loud bang as the door to the Dal was flung open. A crouching, hooded figure ran in slamming the door behind it. A hand reached up to slide the hood off revealing a middle aged man of average height, dressed in a grey hooded sweat shirt and green sweat pants. He had short, curly, red hair and two days worth of stubble. He briefly rested his full weight against the door, panting as if he had just run a marathon. Pushing off from the door, he ran into the middle of the bar. "Trick! Are you here?"

Seeing the barkeep he ran over and grabbed him by the shoulders.

"Trick! You gotta hide me. Sanctuary. Give me sanctuary!" The stranger begged. The man let go of Trick and ran ducking behind the bar.

"Silas?" Trick called following the man behind the bar.

Still holding the pendant up, her voice dripping with sarcasm, Bo announced "Found him!"

"You're the Pixie they're looking for?" Trick asked him.

Dyson and Selah leaned over the bar to look at the man cowering behind it.

"You can't let them get me. I got a wife and kids." He pleaded.

"You're don't have kids. Besides, I don't know a single woman that would have you." Trick retorted contemptuously.

"That's cold Trick, really cold." Silas responded.

Dyson turned to Trick, "You know him?" he questioned.

Looking at Dyson, Trick answered his question. "He's a regular. Makes some shady deals, has a bit of a gambling addiction, but nothing too bad." Trick turned his attention back to the man behind his bar and scowled. "Usually."

The bar door slammed open once again. Dyson and Bo took up a protective stance in front of everyone. Selah peeked around Dyson and saw two men rush in. Both were drenched in sweat and out of breath. They looked like they had been running. One was almost a foot taller than Dyson, barrel chested, with biceps the size of cantaloupes. The other was thin and willowy. His skin was scaly and shone as if it was covered in oil. A forked tongue flicked in and out of his mouth as he struggled to catch his breath.

"Where is he?" the larger of the two bellowed.

Trick grabbed a bat and hurried around the bar yelling, "If you're here to cause trouble, you're not welcome."

"Where is he barkeep?" The large man's voice was low and gravelly as he shook a massive fist at him. He sounded like he was talking through dirt.

"Give him to us." The thin one whined and hissed. "And we'll leave peacefully."

Trick shook the bat threateningly. "He's already invoked sanctuary. Get outta my bar!" He informed them.

Selah pulled the hood of her cloak low over her head, shadowing her face, and slid off the stool. Bo drew her dagger as Dyson partially shifted into his wolf form. "You heard him." He taunted them. "Or are you deaf as well as stupid."

Selah stepped out from behind and to the left of her master, giving the intruders a good look at her as her swords formed in her hands. The area around her grew unnaturally dark as a black aura, streaked with flashes of red lighting, seemed to emanate from her. The only thing that could be seen under her hood was her glowing dark red eyes.

The large brute didn't seem to notice at first, he was too focused on Dyson, but his thin companion did. He gave Selah an evil grin that revealed rows of sharp snake fangs. That grin quickly turned to surprise and fear as he recalled the nightmare inducing story his grandmother used to tell him, the story of the Foundlings.

He put his arm up, stopping his friend just as he was about to charge and pointed at Selah. "Look." He gulped.

The large man's eyes shifted in the direction his companion was pointing. Selah watched as his color drained, recognition registering on his face. She grinned. She was enjoying this.

The aura that surrounded her reached out in wispy tendrils to envelope the pair. Her voice spoke in their minds. "I am death and I have come for you!"

In unison they turned to flee. The large man shoved the smaller one out of his way and into a wall. The smaller man bounced off the wall, falling to the floor in a tangled mass of arms and legs. The large one fumbled with the handle to the front door of the bar as his friend untangled himself. Finally managing to turn the handle, he wrenched the door open pulling it off one of its hinges. He fled outside with his skinny friend close behind.

Selah followed them as far as the doorway. Smugly she smiled to herself as she closed the door the best she could. Composing herself, she turned around to face the group behind her.

There was a mixture of shock, surprise and fear from the group. All she could see of the Pixie was a tussle of red hair, a pair of large green eyes and fingertips as he cowered behind the bar. She wasn't sure if the fear in his eyes was because of the men she had just chased out or her. Bo looked utterly surprised. A slow smile spread across her face. "You're going to be handy to have around." She laughed.

Trick looked horrified and sick. He wondered if that was what Isabeau, his wife, had seen right before she died.

Selah looked at Dyson. Suddenly self conscious about her actions, she lowered her eyes to the floor. She didn't know what her master would think or do. She had acted without orders. Selah bowed her head and awaited her punishment.

Dyson thought he saw hints of emotions flash across his assassins face as she looked at each of them. Confusion as she looked at the Pixie, a slight hint of a smile as she looked at Bo, concern and uncertainty as she looked at Trick. Then her eyes rested on him. There was that brief flash of fear again before she dropped her eyes to the floor. No one else seemed to notice. He didn't understand. All the stories and his own experience told him she should not be registering any emotions at all. But he knew he saw it.

He walked over to the door that now hung crookedly and ran a hand along the edge where it was separating from the hinge. "Let's see if we can fix this."

Selah nodded. "As you command."


	8. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Bo got some screws and a screwdriver from the backroom and handed them to Dyson. "The batteries for the electric drill are dead." She shrugged apologetically as she handed them to him. Selah looked at Bo questioningly, she had never heard of an electric drill, but said nothing.

"Thanks." Dyson told her. "Why don't you see what you can get out of our friend over there," Dyson gestured with the screwdriver at the pixie, Silas. "While we get the door fixed."

Bo smiled. "Alright." She knew with her powers of persuasion, it wouldn't be hard. She walked over to the bar where Silas and Trick were talking to each other.

Dyson told Selah to hold the door as he drove a screw in.

In a low voice, he asked, "What was that?" Selah looked at him, puzzled. "What did you do to those guys?" He said gesturing out the door.

Unsure of exactly what to tell him, she explained, "You wanted them to leave master. They looked like they needed to be persuaded." She stopped and thought for a moment before adding. "I thought it was what you wanted. I'm sorry if I was wrong. Did you want me to kill them instead?"

"What? No!" he exclaimed. "It's just I thought Foundlings couldn't do anything unless they were commanded to."

Selah nodded her head wisely. "That is true if that is the way the master wishes, and many masters have wanted it that way. But we are capable of so much more. We were created to serve in anyway master desires."

Dyson studied her face as she spoke. Searching for what he had seen earlier but her face showed no emotion. Then, Selah looked away and hesitated. That's when Dyson saw it. That was her tell, the sign that she was nervous, unsure or scared, he couldn't tell.

She quietly asked, "Is that what you expect of me master?"

"I don't know what I expect." He told her as they finished fixing the door. "Right now, we need to figure out what to do with you and keep what you are hidden."

He examined the door. He had been surprised at the ease with which she held it in place as he pushed hard on it, driving the screws in by hand. He declared, "That should hold it."

Selah took the screwdriver from Dyson and walked over to ask Bo where she should put it. Trick snatched the tool from her hand. "It's bad enough it's even in my bar." He told Bo while gesturing at Selah. "The last thing I want is that thing having free reign of the place!" He snarled as he stormed off to the backroom to put the tool away.

Selah lowered her eyes and took a step back, bumping into Dyson. She glanced behind her. "Excuse me master." She said as she tried to step out of his way, but he put a hand on her shoulder to stop her.

Talking to Bo, Dyson asked "Where's the pixie?" Selah looked around to see if she could see him.

Bo sighed waving her hand dismissively. "Gone. He doesn't know anything."

"You sure?" his brow wrinkled and he look in that direction as he questioned her.

"Oh yeah." She laughed, holding up a finger. "One touch and he was singing like a bird. He didn't want to bump into those goons Selah ran outta here so he went out the back." Bo looked at Selah. "Now, what are we going to do with you?" She smiled reassuringly at her.

Selah didn't smile back. Dejectedly she thought to herself, " _That seems to be the question on everyone's mind. What to do with me._ " She knew there was one thing she absolutely didn't want to happen. She did not want to go back into that stone and would do anything to make sure she was never put back there ever again.

Trick came back up the stairs just in time to hear Bo's question. "That's solved easily enough." Selah looked at him as he walked back into the bar. She knew what he was going to say and would have done anything to keep him from it, but her master still had a grip on her shoulder.

"What do you suggest?" Bo asked.

"Put her back in the stone." He told them with a shrug.

Being over a foot taller than the assassin, and behind her, Dyson couldn't look at her face to see her reaction. But he still had his hand on her and could feel her tense up at the suggestion. He felt a slight shudder go through her as well, but Selah said nothing. Dyson knew Trick's suggestion was a good one. It would make everything a lot easier, but after Selah's reaction, he wasn't willing to do that until he found out why she didn't want to go back.

"I think she needs to learn about our world before we decide what to do with her." He told them. He could feel her relax under his hand.

Relief flooded Selah as she heard her master's decision. Trick scowled but knew he arguing about it would get him nowhere.

Dyson told Bo he needed to go to the police station to see his partner Hale to check on something, so they agreed to meet back at Bo's place later. Selah would accompany him so he could keep an eye on her. No one wanted a Foundling on the loose. On the drive over, Selah saw many strange sights and had a lot of questions, but her master seemed lost in his own thoughts and she didn't want to disturb him. Soon they pulled up to a beige building with blue trim and a parking lot full of police cars.

"Stay here." Dyson told her.

Selah nodded her head to show she would do as he commanded. Dyson got out and walked toward the building. He stopped a few feet away from the car. He was waiting for someone. A black man, a little shorter than Dyson came out. He was dressed smartly in a blue suit and red stripped tie. He wore a stylish hat set at a slight angle on top of is short curly brown hair. Selah noticed he held one arm tight against his side. She had the impression he was hiding something under his jacket. She watched with anticipation as he approached her master and they shook hands. Selah tensed as the man reached inside his jacket. If he drew a blade on her master there was nothing she could do to help him. He had ordered her to stay and she had to obey. She was relieved to see him pull a bunch of papers out as he spoke.

Handing it to Dyson, he said, "Ok. I got the file you asked for, but I need to get it back before anyone notices it's gone."

"Thanks Hale. I owe you one." Dyson said as he took the file and opened it.

"You owe me more than one. It's my ass on the line if they find it missing." Hale replied. "You know they told us to stay away from this case."

"I know." Dyson smiled at him as he flipped through the file. "I just needed to check something."

Hale looked around to make sure no one was watching them. As his eyes scanned the area, they stopped on Dyson's car. Noticing the girl sitting in it, he smiled at Dyson. "Who's the pretty little lady?"

"Huh?" Dyson asked as he read the file. Hale smiled at Selah and tipped his hat. Selah nodded and looked away. She wasn't used to people smiling at her. When they looked at her she usually saw fear or apprehension, but never a smile. It unnerved her. Dyson looked over at his car. "It's no one."

Hale's eyes got big as his smile widened. "Ah! I see how it is. You got a little somethin' going on, on the side." He said with a knowing nod.

Dyson frowned at him. "It's not like that."

"Uh huh. Sure." He stopped smiling as a thought occurred to him. "I thought you and Bo were…" he let the sentence hang in the air.

"We are, and I told you it's not like that." Dyson insisted.

"Ok," Hale continued. "If it's not like that, then introduce me."

Dyson closed the folder, shoved it into Hale's stomach and clapped him on the shoulder. "Nice try my friend." He grinned. Dyson walked quickly around to get into the car. Hale continued to try and talk Dyson into introducing him, but Dyson ignored him. He opened the door before stopping to add, "See you at the Dal later?"

"She gonna be there?" he asked, pointing at the car with the file in his hand.

Dyson chuckled as he got in the car. "You don't give up do you?"

Dyson started the car and drove away leaving his friend still protesting.

They drove in silence for a few minutes, each lost in their own thoughts. Dyson was thinking about what he'd found in the file. Selah was thinking about her future. She was still unsure about her new master and how much freedom he would allow her. In the past, she'd had masters that allowed her some autonomy, allowing her freedom of movement around their estates and freedom to talk to people. And then she'd had masters that required her to either stay in the stone until summoned, or to silently stand guard somewhere, sometimes for weeks at a time. Either way she had always been kept on a short leash and she didn't expect this time to be any different. Before it had been easy because she never got bored or lonely, her thoughts revolving only around what her master wanted and expected of her. But now, she found herself curious and excited about the world around her. She had never been kept in the stone for such a long time before and the world had changed a lot since she saw it last.

" _I want to go places. See and do things._ " She thought to herself. " _I want to talk to people, I want…_ " she stopped as she realized her mind was taking her down a dangerous path. Her kind was never meant to have wants and desires of their own. She didn't belong to herself, she belonged to her master and forgetting that would lead her straight to the one place she didn't want to be.

Selah was so lost in her own thoughts, she didn't notice Dyson stealing glances at her as they drove. He saw emotions, more clearly than before, flash across her face. He looked at her as new sights raced past. He saw wonder and amazement in her eyes. She reminded him of a little kid being taken to an amusement park for the first time. Suddenly all joy and curiosity left her. He quietly asked, "What are you thinking?"

His deep voice suddenly in her ear startled her. She looked at him as she realized she had had been so wrapped up in her own thoughts, she'd forgotten he was there. Embarrassed, she lowered her head and turned away, trying to hide the blush that was slowly spreading across her face.

"I..." she began. "I was wondering what freedoms master might allow me."

"Freedoms?" he looked at her confused as he stopped the car in front of a rundown house.

"Will I be allowed to move freely around your estate or do you wish me to stand guard? Will I be permitted to speak to others?" She explained. "Does master wish me to cook and clean? Tend the fires, care for your animals, or do you already have servants to do these things?"

Dyson let out a hearty laugh. Judging by her questions about servants and tending fires, he could tell it had been a long time since she had been out of the stone.

Dyson's laughter irritated her. She scowled. "I don't understand why master finds my questions amusing." She had never had anyone laugh at her before and she didn't like it.

Dyson grinned at her. He found having a lethal assassin pouting in his car to be very amusing. "I don't have servants or animals." He explained. "And before you attempt to cook anything there is a lot you need to learn." He pointed at the house they had parked in front of. "This is Bo's place. You can talk freely to anyone there. You can go into the kitchen and living room. All other rooms, you need to ask Bo or Kenzie. Any questions?"

Selah shook her head. "Good. Let's go." he said as he opened his door. Dyson got out and walked around the car to open Selah's door. As she got out Dyson added, "One more thing. Under no circumstance are you to tell anyone you're a Foundling. Understand?"

"As you command." She nodded.

Dyson took her by the arm and led her inside. A pretty young woman with straight, jet black hair and pale blue eyes came out of a backroom as they walked in.

"Hey D-man. Who's your…" she started.

"Hi Kenzie." Dyson interrupted. "Is Bo here?"

"YOUR friend?" Kenzie gave Dyson her best "stop being rude" look as she extended her hand to Selah.

"This is Selah." He introduced them. "Is Bo here?"

Kenzie turned her full attention to Selah, ignoring Dyson for the moment. This surprised Selah. She was used to people paying attention to her master and ignoring her, not the other way around. She was unsure how to react.

"Nice to meet you." Kenzie said as Selah shook her hand and nodded. "No," Kenzie said, finally turning her attention to Dyson. "She called and said you were bringing someone with you. She also said she was stopping to get takeout for lunch. She should be here soon, which is good cause I'm starved."

Selah turned to Dyson. "Takeout?" she questioned.

"You don't know what takeout is?" Kenzie questioned. Selah shook her head. "Where've you been, living under a rock?"

Selah opened her mouth to answer but closed it again. She wasn't sure how to answer that question.

Dyson chuckled. "Let's just say she's not from around here."

Kenzie's eyes got big as she sarcastically replied, "Ok. Like that's not mysterious and a little creepy."

Hearing the door open, they turned to see Bo walk in. Her hands were full of plastic bags carrying Chinese takeout boxes and groceries from the grocery store. "Oh good, you're here." She said with relief as she tried to close the door with her foot.

All three hurried over to help her with the bags. Kenzie grabbed the Chinese food while Dyson and Selah each took a grocery bag.

Relieved of the bags, Bo told them "Maybe I should take you all with me next time. Then I won't have to carry anything." She grinned.

Kenzie took the food out and put it on the counter while Selah took the groceries out of her bag and curiously inspected each item before handing them to Dyson. She had never seen food like this before. Bo came over to help put things away. The smells from the food on the counter soon caught Selah's attention. She closed her eyes and breathed in the delicious smells of garlic, ginger and curry. It had been a long time since she had been allowed to eat.

Dyson watched as Selah breathed in, enjoying the smells. Unconsciously, he put his hand in his pocket and touched the stone. He wondered how long she had been in there. He grabbed plates out of a cupboard as Bo and Kenzie took the food to the table. Selah didn't join them. She had never been permitted to eat when her master ate. She had always been forced to wait until he had finished. Instead, she stood against a wall with her hands clasped in front of her. Her hood obscuring her face so she wouldn't unnerve her master's guests while they ate and she did her job. She was expected to watch over the meal, standing at the ready to protect her master should anyone decide to attack. Then, when they were finished, if her master decided to feed her she was given the scraps.

Kenzie and Dyson started putting food on plates. "Oh my god! This smells so good." Kenzie remarked, her mouth watering.

"Yeah it does." Bo replied. She noticed Selah standing across the room. She pointed to the food. "Do you eat?" she asked her.

Selah looked at her and nodded slightly.

"Well? Come eat!" she told her.

Selah looked to Dyson for permission. He grinned, nodded and motioned for her to join them. Pulling her hood off, she nodded thanks and walked over taking a seat on Dyson's left.

Unsure of how she was expected to act, she sat rigidly on the chair secretly watching Dyson, taking her cues from him. As the meal and conversation progressed she sensed no disapproval from her master and began to relax, allowing herself to enjoy the food.

Only being given scraps and leftovers, this food was better than anything Selah had ever eaten. The taste of the sweet and sour chicken played over her tongue, followed by the warmth of the spicy curried pork. She was so absorbed in the flavors and the feelings they gave her, she barely heard Kenzie's question.

"So what kind of Fae are you?"

Selah was surprised that her master's friends would speak directly to her. Usually any questions about her were directed to him. She was used to people treating her like a piece of furniture, not a person. But Selah looked to Dyson to explain since she wasn't allowed to answer that question.

Dyson answered with his mouth half full of food. "She's not Fae."

Surprised Kenzie asked "You're human?"

Dyson had just taken a bite of an egg roll, so he nodded and gestured to Selah giving her permission to explain.

She put her chopsticks down as she explained, "Not exactly."

"What?" Kenzie exclaimed incredulously. "If you're not Fae or human, what are you?"

Selah smiled and sheepishly explained, "I'm a little of both."

Kenzie looked at Dyson. "There's a way to be human and Fae at the same time and you're just NOW telling me? Sign me up!"

Selah cautioned her. "This is not something anyone wants to sign up for."

Kenzie leaned in and teasingly asked, "Why? Did they make you sign a blood oath, promise them your first born?" She place a hand on Selah's in mock concern. "Did they make you perform a virgin sacrifice?"

"No. It's worse." She said before looking sideways at Dyson. She looked back at Kenzie and leaned in closer. Sincerely she replied, "I have to do whatever he says." She tilted her head in Dyson's direction.

"Seriously?" Kenzie laughed. "You have to do whatever Dyson tells you?"

Selah hesitantly smiled back, unsure of what Kenzie had found amusing.

"What do you get out of it?" Kenzie wanted to know.

"She doesn't get anything." Bo explained. "She didn't have a choice."

"Whoa. That majorly sucks." Kenzie sympathized as she sat back and took a sipped of her drink. "Then again," She added after thinking about it for a moment. "I'm sure there are lots of women who wouldn't mind doing whatever Dyson told them."

"Kenzie!" Bo jokingly admonished her.

"What? I'm just saying" Kenzie giggled.

Selah's smile grew as the humor of her situation dawned on her. Her new master was good looking and seemed to be well liked. She was sure, as Kenzie pointed out, there were lots of women who would love to be in her shoes, as long as he was the one who owned them.

Dyson watched as the smile spread across her face. It seemed the more time she spent around them and interacting with them, the more she relaxed and let her guard down. He was really starting to like this woman he had inadvertently come to own. Dyson grinned, but on the inside he was troubled. The more he thought about it, the more he hated the idea of owning Selah. Foundlings had a reputation for being cold, uncaring and dangerous. So far, Selah had shown no signs of having any of these traits. If she proved she could be trusted, he wanted to find a way to free her. Dyson turned his attention back to the conversation going on around him.

"What we need to do now is get Selah up to speed." Bo said. "And dressed more like she belongs in this century."

"I don't know. I'm kind of liking the whole," Kenzie paused trying to find the right words. She gestured, waving to include Selah's entire outfit. "Robin Hood meets Xena warrior princess and they're both gonna kick your ass, look she's got goin on."

Bo laughed, "What we need is more human trying to fit in."

"Kenzie, how would you like to take Selah shopping?" Dyson suggested. "Get her some new clothes and, while you're at it, you can teach her how to fit in."

Kenzie's eyes lit up at the idea of a shopping trip using some else's money. "You want me to take her shopping? Ok, but you're paying for it."

Dyson took out his wallet and handed over his credit card. "Don't go crazy."

Selah watched with interest as Dyson handed over the card. She wondered how it worked. Did it magically produce gold to pay for things? Before she'd been put in the stone, she had heard rumors of an alchemist who was trying to change lead into gold. But she didn't dwell too long on how it was going to be paid for. She hadn't been given new clothes in a very long time. She never needed them. The magic that healed her also cleaned and repaired her clothing when necessary, even if it didn't keep up with the latest fashions. The thought of getting new clothes excited her and Dyson could see it.

Kenzie smiled as she took his card. "Me? Go crazy?" She said as she fanned herself with it. "Please!" she reassured him as she stuffed it in her bra, adjusting herself so the card was hidden.

Dyson shook his head and chuckled at her. He pulled the stone out of his pocket to look at it.

Bo turned her attention to Selah. "So, how long were you in that stone?" she asked.

"I don't know." Selah answered. "When I was put in there, the truce between the dark and light Fae had just been brokered, and…" she hesitated, not sure what to call him. "The one you call Trick was the Blood King."

"Where did you find her?" Kenzie wanted to know.

"Among Trick's possessions." Dyson thoughtfully answered as he studied the stone. "Why did Trick keep you in here?" he asked bluntly as he held up the stone.

Selah averted her eyes as she thought how best to answer his question. She wasn't sure of the reaction she would get.

"He blames me for many deaths," She quietly replied. She hesitated before continuing. "But especially for the murder of his wife."

This got their attention. Dyson looked at her with a piercing gaze as he asked his next question. "Did you kill her?"

Selah scowled. She silently challenged him with a look as intense as his own as she replied. "Would you hold me responsible if I did?"

They sat there a few moments, each trying to judge the character of the other. Playing a silent game of chicken waiting to see who would blink first. Finally Dyson leaned back thoughtfully. It took him a few minutes before he sighed and answered her. "No. You can't be blamed for what others made you do.

Selah let out the breath she hadn't realized she had been holding and sat back. "No. I didn't kill her."

She looked at him, grateful to hear those words, but also wondering if he would feel the same way if he found out about the warrior she had killed so long ago. She didn't know if he would forgive her so easily if he knew she'd killed his friend.

"Then why'd he lock you up?" Bo questioned.

Selah shrugged. "The rest of my kind was dead and he needed someone to blame," She said as she took a drink. "To punish for what happened to his wife. No one but Trick knew I was there, and even if they had, they wouldn't have cared." She finished as she put her drink down.

Bo started to protest, but Selah cut her off. "I didn't even care. He was my master and all that mattered was what he wanted."

"What's it like in there?" Kenzie was curious.

Selah shrugged as she understated the truth. "It's not pleasant."

Dyson had a feeling there was more she wasn't saying. "What do you mean 'not pleasant'?"

Selah let out a deep sigh. She didn't want to tell them what Trick had done to her, but she couldn't deny it. Not to her master anyway. But Trick was his friend. They had known each other for a long time. If he chose not to believe her because the truth was too hard for him to accept, she was sure he would put her back in the stone for lying to him. Past experience with other masters told her this was a very real possibility. But she had no choice. He had asked her and she had to answer truthfully whether he believed her or not. She bowed her head and braced herself for whatever response her answer elicited from him.

"He put me through hell." She stated. Selah didn't look up to see their reactions as she continued. She closed her eyes as she remembered. The pain it caused her was obvious. "He made me live the death of each of my kind. Also every pain and death my kind inflicted on others. Over and over again."

Dyson set the stone on the table, disgust written on his face. "I will never make you go back in there." He promised her.

Selah quickly looked up, pleading with him. "Please don't say that master."

Dyson looked puzzled. "Why…" he started, but Selah interrupted him.

"There may come a time when you have to. I don't want you to make a promise you may not be able to keep." She explained. "Besides," she continued, "you can change the way it is in there."

"How?" he asked.

Selah picked up the stone and placed it in Dyson's hand, curling his fingers around it.

"All you have to do is imagine how you want it to be. The better you imagine it, the better it will be." She explained.

"That's it?" Bo asked sarcastically. "He just has to imagine it?"

Selah nodded. "You have to remember, the ones that created me needed it to be easy enough that anyone could do it." She clarified. "As easy as it is, I still had masters who couldn't manage it. They had no imagination at all. I was stuck in totally nothingness for weeks. Or was it months?" She laughed. "Still not sure how long that lasted."

Dyson closed his eyes for a few minutes, trying to imagining a good place for Selah. "Ok. It's done."

"Anytime you want to change it master you can as long as you hold the stone." She informed him.

"Is that how Trick made it… into what it was? " Bo asked. She couldn't bring herself to say the words "torture chamber".

Selah nodded. She could see the pain on Bo's face that came with the realization of what her grandfather had done. Selah was quick to explain, "He seems a different person than he was then and he actually did me a favor."

This shocked everyone at the table.

"How is torturing you for who knows how long a favor?" Kenzie asked incredulously.

"When he put me in the stone, he wanted me to know how my kind impacted others. How we made others feel." Bo and the others still didn't look like they understood so she continued. "When he put me in there, I felt nothing. Thought only about what my master wanted and expected from me. But now, because of what Trick did, I can feel again. Not only sadness and grief, but also happiness and joy. He gave me back my humanity. Made me understand what I did. All those people I hurt." They could hear the sadness in her voice. "I know that wasn't what he intended, but that's what he did. He also never used me to hurt anyone else. No master had ever done that." She finished.

"So let me get this straight," Kenzie said, trying to wrap her mind around it all. "He tortured you, and it helped?"

Selah nodded.

"Wow. That's just… wow." Kenzie remarked.

With lunch finished, Bo suggested Kenzie take Selah upstairs to find something more current for her to wear out in public while she and Dyson cleaned up.

"Have you noticed how Selah has changed in the short time we've known her?" She asked Dyson as they cleared the table.

He looked at her confused." What do you mean?" he asked.

"When we first met her at the Dal, she seemed almost afraid to breathe without your permission. Then, when you got here, she helped without being told to, but was still unsure of what you would allow her to do. Now," she gestured to the stairs Selah and Kenzie had gone up. "She's getting ready to go shopping without you there to supervise." Bo giggled, "You're little assassin is growing up so fast." She teased as she wrapped her arms around his waist.

Dyson frowned at her, and then laughed as he wrapped his arms around her. "She does seem to be changing quickly."

"Maybe that's normal for her kind." Bo suggested. "Maybe that's what happens each time they get a new master. Kind of like a baby chick. They imprint on the first thing they see."

"I don't know." He explained. "Not much is known about Foundlings. The Changelings kept the whole process a secret."

"I guess we'll just have to wait and see." She suggested.

Upstairs, Kenzie found Selah some short shorts and a pair of half boots to wear. She also found a white tee-shirt and leather half jacket.

As they came down the stairs, Selah kept pulling self consciously at her shorts and jacket, trying to cover herself up more. She seriously wondered if her new master would approve of her wearing so little. Kenzie had to slap her hands away from the clothing to get her to stop.

Watching them walk down the stairs, Dyson frowned a little. The clothing Kenzie found for Selah showed off her well toned figure and drew too much attention to her. He was about to say something but Bo elbowed him in the ribs and shook her head at him. She noticed just how self-conscious Selah was already and warned him not to say anything to make her feel worse.

Frowning, Dyson reminded Kenzie they were trying to get Selah to blend in, not stand out, to which Kenzie rolled her eyes at him. "Fine." She huffed as she grabbed Selah's hand and lead her out the door.

The rest of the afternoon Selah and Kenzie spent shopping at some of Kenzie's favorite stores where she taught Selah the current slang and manner of speech. Selah was such a quick study that by the time they finished she was speaking like a native. Selah remarked many times that the clothing worn by women today was very different than she remembered and questioned Kenzie's choice of clothing. She wondered whether her master really wanted her to dress as a prostitute, but Dyson had told her he trusted Kenzie to dress her appropriately. If her master trusted her, then Selah had no choice but to trust her too.


	9. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Selah stepped into the Dal. A grey, form fitting, leather halter dress hugged every curve of her well toned, lithe form. Everyone in the bar could see every muscle ripple and move as she walked. Her thick auburn mane cascaded down to the middle of her back. Dark red thigh high boots caressed her slim legs. Kenzie had insisted she wear makeup, but only enough to accentuate for high cheek bones, full lips, and golden eyes. Selah spotted Dyson and Bo at the bar and headed in their direction. Her walk was as graceful as a cat on the prowl and her movement caught the attention of every guy in the room, and quite a few women.

"Wow!" Bo laughed lustfully as she watched Selah walk toward them. "You are one lucky man." She teased Dyson.

But Dyson didn't find it funny. He watched as every head turned in Selah's direction.

Kenzie came up behind her as Selah reached Dyson. "Well?" Kenzie asked excitedly. "What do you think?" Kenzie gestured at Selah as if she were presenting Dyson with a prize he'd just won.

Selah could easily tell her master was not happy. Dyson grabbed Kenzie's arm and pulled her close enough to whisper in her ear.

"I told you something that would make her blend in." he hissed.

"I did." Kenzie exclaimed. "At least I tried. You try hiding… THAT!" she insisted.

Selah appeared at Dyson's shoulder. He could hear the irritation in her voice. "If master is not pleased, I can go change." She offered. Selah liked the clothes she and Kenzie had settled on and was not happy that she might have to change to please him. If he wanted to pick them out, he should have been there to do it himself.

"Trust me." Kenzie remarked, patting Selah's shoulder. "If he ain't happy with that, nothing else we got is gonna make him any happier."

"Too late now." Bo told them, looking around the room.

Trick came up behind the bar. "What'll you have?" He smiled at them. He didn't notice Selah standing on the other side of Dyson. Dyson turned around giving Trick a glimpse of her. At first he didn't recognize her.

"Who's your…" Trick started to ask before it dawned on him. To everyone's surprise, the short man quickly pulled himself on to the bar and grabbed Dyson by the shirt. Seething with anger, he pulled him closer and hissed in his face, "What's she doing here?"

The fact that, for the first time, Trick had referred to her as a person was not lost on Selah. Trick looked around to see if anyone had noticed her. He knew that since she wasn't technically Fae, his customers would think she was as human as Kenzie.

Realizing that everyone was staring, Trick let go of Dyson and climbed off the bar. As he composed himself, through gritted teeth, he ordered, "One of you better claim her. Now!"

A voice from behind her said, "I'll claim her." Selah turn to see who would dare claim her when she didn't belong to them. A face with warm brown skin, chocolate eyes and an electric smile greeted her.

Hale was standing behind her. Taking her hand, he bowed slightly and kissed it. "If she'll have me."

Kenzie rolled her eyes at him. "Down boy!" she told him.

"She's with me." Dyson informed him as he took her arm, pulling her closer and away from Hale.

Trick announced to the room, "The girl is with him!" Turning back to Dyson, he ordered, "Now get her out of here." He walked off to check on his other customers.

The other patrons in the bar knew better than to tangle with Dyson, and over a single human, it wasn't worth it. They turned back to their drinks and conversations leaving the group to their own business.

He looked at Selah. "So much for keeping you hidden."

"I see how it is." Hale said accusingly. "You two got a little threesome going on here and you didn't want me to know about it." He said pointing to Bo and Dyson.

Bo grinned at him. "Sounds like fun to me." She said.

Letting go of Selah, Dyson pulled Hale aside. "I told you it's not like that." Dyson could see that he was going to have to let Hale in on the secret just to keep him quiet. " She's a Foundling."

"Oh now you're just making things up." Hale accused him. "If you don't want me sniffing around, just say so."

"I'm not making it up." Dyson said sincerely. Hale was about to argue again when he realized Dyson was serious. Shocked, he asked, "You serious? She's a…"

Dyson interrupted. "Yes."

"How did you..."

"I'll tell you later. Now's not the time." He told Hale, leading him back to the group. Hale looked Selah up and down appreciatively. She sat down at the bar, turning her back to him, and made a mental note to ask her master just how good of a friend Hale was. She was getting tired of his leering eyes. She wasn't used to anyone looking at her like that. Usually they looked at her with fear or disdain. The new looks she was getting, not only from Hale but other patrons of the pub, made her uncomfortable and on edge. She wanted nothing more than to make the looks stop.

Hale placed a hand on Selah's shoulder to get her attention. Quicker than he could blink, Selah grabbed his wrist and pushed up on his arm as she got off the stool. She spun around underneath it and moved behind him, pulling his arm with her. She pushed his arm painfully up as she grabbed his head and slammed his face onto the bar. She hissed in his ear, "You will not touch me again without an invitation."

The whole bar looked at her in surprise.

"Selah! Let him go!" Dyson commanded.

Selah looked at her master. She waited a beat before she inclined her head and released her grip on his friend. She sauntered around to the other side of the group taking a seat next to Bo. Selah felt almost certain that the little stunt she just pulled would make the looks stop.

Hale stood up rubbing his wrist. He adjusted his suit as he backed away from Selah and walked to the opposite end of the bar. As he passed Dyson, he suggested, "You might want to think twice about bringing her out in public."

"I'll keep that in mind." Her master replied scowling at Selah.

Dyson walked over to Selah and leaned on the bar. She could tell he was angry with her, but for some reason, right then she didn't care.

He frowned at her. "What was that?" He demanded gesturing in Hale's direction.

Selah shrugged. "I don't like being touched by someone I don't know." She said simply.

"You can't just go around hurting people." He told her.

Selah turned to look Dyson squarely in the face.

"If it had been Bo or Kenzie, would you have expected them to let a stranger put his hands on them?" She asked.

Dyson scowled, but didn't answer.

"Then why should I?" She asked as she turned away.

Dyson was taken aback and his frown deepened. She was getting bold and defiant. Her behavior was becoming unpredictable. He would have to do something about that and soon. "We'll talk about this later." He informed her as he went to apologize to Hale.

After Dyson left, Bo leaned over. "You really should learn to control that temper." She gently advised Selah.

Selah looked at her in surprise. "Would you have let him put his hands on you?" She testily asked her.

Bo pointed to the cup of steaming tea sitting in front of her. Selah was surprised she hadn't noticed it before.

"Trick put it there before he left." Bo pointed to Hale. "It's for him.' Bo smiled at Selah sympathetically as the woman realized what Hale was trying to do. Grabbing her drink, Bo moved over a couple seats to sit with Kenzie. Selah stared at the tea with her head in her hands.

With Dyson and Hale talking at one end of the bar, and Bo and Kenzie getting into a deep discussion about men at the other, Selah was left alone with her thoughts. The more she thought, the more she realized that she had been impulsive and behaved badly toward her master's friend. Her master was being kinder to her than anyone ever had. He treated her almost like an equal, and she repaid him by hurting and embarrassing his friend.

" _This must be what they call guilt_." She ruefully thought to herself.

She never realized just how hard it was to control emotions. Her master was right to be angry with her and she knew she deserved whatever punishment he decided. The more she thought, the worse she felt. She was no longer afraid of being put back in the stone. Her master had been kind enough to change it, and she realized she trusted him to make it a better place. He also told her he would never put her back in and she believed him.

Realizing she was putting his trust in her in jeopardy, she thought, " _I have to find a way to show him I can behave the way he wants, that I can be trusted._ "

She watched as Trick walked into the backroom and decided to follow him. Selah knew how much Trick hated her, but if she was going to show her master that she could be a good person and do the right thing, she had to do this. She stopped just outside the door to the backroom. She knew if this was going to work, she had to keep control of herself. But the assassin didn't know if she could keep control. Didn't know if she was a good person or not. She wanted to be, but she didn't know if she had it in her.it in her? to be, but did rrs. She shook her head to clear her mind. She had to stay focused on the task at hand. Selah, the Foundling, the humanling, the task at hand. She stepped inside.


	10. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Trick was standing at a counter studying a large open book. Hearing a sound behind him, he glanced back. Selah stood in the doorway. Frowning, he turned his back on her.

With authority he growled at her. "Why are you here?" As if he needed to add to his show of power, he slammed the book closed. Selah could see a mixture of strong emotions boiling just below the surface. Without giving her a chance to answer Trick continued. With malice he demanded, "I didn't want you here when I owned you, what makes you think I want you here now?"

Selah knew Trick hated her, but she hadn't anticipated such a strong reaction to her being there. His words stung. She knew Trick had never wanted her. He only wanted to make her pay, but to hear him actually admit it, to say it to her face, hurt her in a way she didn't expect.

"You made that very clear when you stuck me in that prison." She bitterly retorted.

" _Did I hear emotion in her voice?_ " He wondered. Turning around, he asked, "What do you want?" Trick really looked at Selah for the first time since she entered the room. He thought he saw anger in her eyes. She blinked and it was gone.

Selah tried to stay calm as she replied, "I came to talk about why you put me in the stone."

"You want to know why I put you in there?" He asked dangerously, then raised his voice to yell. "Your kind killed my wife!"

" _There it is._ " Selah thought.

Trick wasn't even trying to hide it now. His face laid bare everything he had been trying to get past for so many years. Pain, hate, grief. All the years he had kept her prisoner. She was a stark reminder of what he had been trying desperately to forget and it was all on display now. Trick's brow crumpled as he fought to control himself. His chest rose and fell as his breathing became labored from the internal struggle. He started to turn away from her, not wanting her to witness his suffering.

Selah's face became hard and resolute as anger rose up inside her. She knew what he was going through. He made sure of that. But she knew he had no idea what it was like for her. Her jaw clenched as she accused him, "And you killed my people."

Her reply made Trick uneasy. He thought he saw flickers of anger and rage in her eyes. But he couldn't have, he told himself. Foundlings have no emotions. The uncertainty of what he saw made him start to question what he thought he knew about the woman before him.

Selah closed her eyes, took another deep breath and sighed as she reminded herself why she had followed him into the room. " _I have to remain calm. Keep control._ " She told herself. Her face softened as she shrugged and said, "If you ask me, that makes us even."

Still unwilling to acknowledge what he saw, Trick glared at her. "I didn't ask you." He turned his back on her once again hoping it would end the conversation and she would leave. She didn't.

A thought suddenly occurred to her. "No, you never did ask me." She told him.

Trick had a feeling the conversation just took a turn he hadn't expected and they were no longer talking about the same thing. Confused, he shifted toward her, turning his head a little so he could hear her answer as he asked, "Ask you what?"

"If I killed your wife." She stated. Before she was released from the stone, it hadn't occurred to her to wonder why he had never asked her. But now, she thought she might know the answer. Questioningly, she continued, "But perhaps you already know the answer to that."

Trick clenched and unclenched his fists as his mind started racing. He did know the answer. He had killed the Foundling responsible long before he found her, but he couldn't let her know. "Did you…" He took a deep breath to steel himself. " _Gods this was hard._ " He thought. Through gritted teeth, he continued. "Did you kill her?"

"No. I didn't." she said softly. Trick let out a long breath. In a low voice, Selah continued, "but thanks to you, I know how she died."

Trick had forgotten, for a moment, exactly what he'd done to her. He closed his eyes as he remembered. He had made sure she would feel everything that her people had done to others. Every death, he'd made her live over and over again. All the pain and suffering of those left behind. He wanted her to know exactly what his dear wife Isabeau had gone through. What he and his daughter Aife had gone through. He also made her experience each individual death of her people. He had wanted revenge. Trick's eyes flew open. " _She's out of control,_ " he thought as he remembered what she had just done to Hale. " _And now she wants payback._ "

The thought of an out of control Foundling alone in a room with him shook Trick to his core. Trick frantically searched with his eyes for something to defend himself with. He couldn't let on that he suspected. If she thought he knew, he'd be dead in an instant. All he could find was a hammer. A poor weapon against a Foundling, but it was better than nothing. His fingers closed around the smooth wooden handle as Selah continued.

"What you saw this morning with those men, the blackness and terror," her voice was strong and hard as she pointed into the bar emphatically. "Your wife never saw." Her voice softened as she let her arm drop. "Her killers were as kind to her as they could be. She never saw it coming. She didn't suffer." She placed a hand on the door frame. "Whoever ordered her dead didn't want her to suffer. Your wife's was the least painful death I experienced."

Trick closed his eyes and gripped the hammer tighter as waves of grief, remorse and guilt washed over him.

Selah turned to go. In a low voice, she finished, "I thought you might want to know." With that she walked out of the room.


	11. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Dyson had just said goodbye to Hale when he heard loud voices coming from the backroom. He remembered seeing Trick headed in that direction. His eyes scanned the room looking for Selah but he didn't see her. He knew Selah was changing and her ability to control her emotions was in question. She was testing her boundaries with him and he wasn't sure how far she would go. Because of the incident with Hale, Dyson had considered taking her home and confining her there until she got a grip. He wasn't sure what she was capable of doing in her current state. He was also well aware of the past Selah and Trick shared. Suddenly, it occurred to him that she might try to get revenge.

Worried, he crossed the bar and met her as she came out of the backroom. He looked down at her. His eyes bore into her and his voice was cold. "What were you doing in there?" he demanded. She could feel his concern for Trick and quickly tried to explain, "Master! I was just…" But he pushed past her and was through the door before she had a chance.

Dyson found Trick standing with his back to the door, still gripping the hammer.

"Trick? You ok?" The concern was obvious in his voice.

Trick didn't turn around. He didn't want Dyson to see him this close to losing control. Trick's voice was low and he spoke carefully as he struggled with his emotions. "Get her out of here."

Dyson took a step forward, wanting to make sure he was alright. Trick held up a hand in warning, stopping Dyson in his tracks.

"I want her out of my bar, NOW!" He thundered, swinging the hammer against the counter.

Dyson was confused and concerned. Trick was angrier than he had seen him in a very long time and it was obvious Selah had something to do with it. First Hale, now Trick. He wasn't sure what was going on, but Selah was right in the middle of it. He didn't like not knowing, but talking to Trick wasn't an option right now.

" _What did she do?_ " The thought made him angry. His face hardened as he marched out to get her.

Selah was standing at the bar with her back to him. She stood near Bo and Kenzie, but separate. She was lost in her own thoughts, brooding over how she had tried to do what was right, but it only seemed to make matters worse. Hale was nowhere to be seen.

Furious, Dyson marched up and grabbed her arm in a vice like grip making her look up at him in surprise. She knew when he went in to see Trick, he wouldn't come out happy. But she hadn't expected him to be this angry.

Selah's mind raced with fear. Questions flew through her head that she dare not ask her master. What did Trick say to him? Had Trick told him she'd done something horrible to get her put back in the stone?Did Trick hate her that much? She knew the old Trick, the one who previously owned her was capable of many things, but she honestly hoped he had changed. If he wasn't capable of changing, what did that say about her?

Dyson refused to look at her. He stormed over to Bo pulling Selah with him. "I don't know what just happened," He told her. "But I need to get Selah out of here. I'll meet you back at your place."

Dyson pulled Selah with him, making her almost run to keep up, as he hurried out of the Dal.

Walking out of the bar, they were just in time to see the two men that attacked them that morning drag an unconscious Hale through a quickly dissipating green fog and into the back of a van.

"Hale!" Dyson yelled. They tried to reach the van before it could take off, but they were too late. The van took off before they could reach it.

Dyson knew that even in his wolf form he wouldn't be able to track them very far. The van was too fast and he would lose its scent after a couple of miles. Dyson growled in frustration as the van speed away. He turned back toward the Dal and noticed Selah standing behind him. Seeing his unconscious friend being abducted had made him temporarily forget she was even there. He remembered Foundlings were known for their incredible tracking abilities. They had been known to track their prey across entire continents when necessary. "Selah, I need you to track them down. Find out where they're going." Dyson urgently commanded her.

Selah nodded and ran to the corner of the street the van had turned onto. Dyson was close behind. Looking down the busy street, she tried to spot the van, but it was gone. She crouched on the road, her eyes searching for any sign that would lead her to it. She found nothing. Closing her eyes she listened, straining to hear it, but the road was too busy. There were too many sounds she didn't recognize. The people and animals on the sidewalk were easy to tune out, but the noises coming from the cars on the street, the hum of the air conditioners on the buildings and the constant buzz and creaking from neon signs were all new to her. It made it impossible for her to single out a specific van. She tried to get its scent, but the strange smell of the exhaust from the other cars, the pavement, even the chemical fertilizer recently used on nearby plants masked any scent the van may have left. All her senses failed to tell her anything useful. The world was filled with too many strange new things. Realization dawned on her and she froze. She had failed her master. Confusion and panic filled her as she crouched on the road. Not since her days in training had she failed to do as commanded.

Suddenly Dyson's arm wrapped around her waist as he dragged her back onto the sidewalk, a car barely missing her.

"Well?" Dyson asked as he looked in the direction the van had gone.

"I… I can't." she stammered, shaking her head.

Dyson remembered her reaction to Hale and Trick earlier. They hadn't exactly hit it off. Her treatment of his friends and now her inability or refusal to do as he told her left him questioning just how much control the stone still had over her. He grabbed her arm turning her around to look at him.

His eyes hardened as he asked, "Can't or won't?"

His question hit her like a physical blow. Selah wrapped an arm protectively around her waist as she took a step back. His question shocked her. She couldn't look him in the eyes as she processed the thoughts and emotions that were running through her. Never would she dream of disobeying her master. Though her training happened a very long time ago, she still remembered the punishment inflicted on those who disobeyed. Sometimes their punishment would last for months. The memory of their screams as they were slowly tortured was still strong in her mind. Disobedience was the worst crime a Foundling could be accused of. She expected to be punished later for failing him, but she didn't expect this.

Finally, she looked at him. "This new world, I don't know it. Had I been allowed out of the stone, allowed to grow with it, I would have no problem. But…"

She hesitated. When he said nothing, she continued. "Master, I can't. The world has changed too much and I haven't had time to learn how to track here." She pleaded. The more she talked, the faster her words came. "If we were in a forest, or a village, or even a city from the fourteen hundreds, they would be laying at your feet already." She explained, gesturing to the ground in front of him.

Dyson turned away from her. He was no longer listening. She was of no help and he needed to find those men and why they had taken Hale.

Selah reached out a hand to him, wanting to make him turn around and look at her, to make him understand. Her hand stopped a hairs breadth from grabbing his arm. It hovered a moment before she pulled it back, afraid of his reaction.

"Master… I'm sorry." She quietly finished.

Dyson raced back to the Dal with Selah close behind. Bo saw them enter. By their demeanor, she could tell something was wrong.

"Hale's gone!" Dyson blurted out.

"Gone?" Kenzie asked.

"The men from this morning grabbed him. They took off in a van." He explained.

Trick walked up to see what the commotion was all about. He scowled when he saw Selah. He was about to order Selah to leave again, but didn't get the chance.

"Hale's been kidnapped." Bo told him, cutting off any complaints he had about Selah being there.

"Kidnapped? Why didn't you send her after them?" He said with derision, jerking his thumb in Selah's direction.

Selah bowed her head, ashamed of her failure.

"She can't" Dyson explained. "She doesn't know the city."

Trick frowned at this. The explanation seemed farfetched. He needed to show Dyson what he had found in his book, but it had to be when Selah wasn't around.

"Did you get a description of the vehicle?" Bo asked.

Dyson took out his cell phone. "Yeah. I'm calling it in now." He walked to a quiet corner of the bar to make the call. Trick followed him. Bo and Kenzie began pumping Selah for information, trying to get her to remember everything she could that might help them find Hale.

As Dyson hung up the phone, Trick said "I think I have something that might help. Follow me."

He led him into the backroom where his book was. He opened it to the page about Changlings and Foundlings.

"What's this?" Dyson asked him.

"You need to be ready." He told him.

"Ready for what?" Dyson asked suspiciously.

Trick sighed. "Dyson, you know that she's not acting right. She's acting out, emotional…. Foundlings aren't emotional!" He explained. "And not being able to track Hale? It's a little too convenient after what she did to him don't you think?" He pointed to the passage in the book about the Cerebus collar that was used to control Foundlings before they were sold.

"It's said this collar made them completely helpless and controllable." He continued. "They used it before the Foundlings were sold. It's what kept them from going insane, but also made it so they couldn't use their magic, making them useless to the Changlings."

"I won't use that on her." Dyson firmly told him.

"Dyson!" He reprimanded him. "You may not have a choice." He said pointing out the door. "For all we know, what we are seeing is just the beginning. If she is going insane or breaking the stone's control over her, she'll become uncontrollable and dangerous."

Dyson didn't like to admit it, but Trick was saying what he had already been thinking. Selah was becoming moody and unpredictable. He wasn't sure just how long he could keep control of her. If Trick was right, he was going to have to use the collar, for everyone's safety. Bo walked in.

"Did you find out anything?" she asked Dyson.

Trick quickly closed the book before Bo could see what was in it.

Dyson's phone rang. He looked at the number. "Looks like we're about to find out."

He answered it. "Yeah? What'd you find?" He asked the person on the other end. "Get me some paper." He whispered to them.

Trick handed him a pad and pen. Dyson quickly jotted down an address.

"Ok. Thanks." He said as he finished up the call. "Let's get going." He told Bo as he ushered her out of the room.

As she walked out, Dyson turned to Trick. "Can you find one of those?" He asked pointing to the book.

"I'm already working on it." He replied.

Dyson and Trick walked back into the bar where Bo and Kenzie were waiting. Selah was standing behind them. She was sullen and withdrawn. Her jaw was set and she had a determined look on her face, but she still couldn't look him in the eyes and that concerned him.

"Let's go." He told them. As they were leaving, he turned to Trick and said in a low voice, "Call me if you find anything." Trick nodded.

The ride to the address Dyson wrote down was uneventful. It was mostly filled with Bo and Dyson discussing what they knew about Hale's kidnappers. Kenzie elected to stay at the Dal to "help" Trick, after Bo described the guy with the snakelike qualities, much to Tricks amusement.

Selah was quiet and distant the whole ride. Bo noticed that she wasn't as outgoing as she had been and didn't join in the conversation. She wondered what happened, but didn't ask. She had more pressing concerns.

They pulled up to the gates of St. Dymphna sanatorium.


	12. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

They drove passed a high fence topped with barbed wire and up to the huge wrought iron gate. A large heavy padlock and chain securely fastened it shut. It looked like it hadn't been used in years. Dyson parked the car. He and Bo got out and walked over to the gate. Dyson grabbed the lock. Twisting it, he tested its strength, but it held. Selah sat in the backseat racking her brain trying to think of a way to show her master that she could do what he wanted. Looking out the back window of the car, Selah scanned a length of the fence. If she could find a way in maybe it would prove to him that she was capable of doing something right. She spotted a place almost totally concealed by two unruly bushes where an animal had dug earth out from under it. She decided to get out and investigate. Bo and Dyson were discussing their next move as she walked along the fence.

"Can't you break it?" Bo asked Dyson.

"No, it's too strong." He answered.

"How are we going to get in then?" she said looking at the gate.

Selah walked toward the bushes. Bo and Dyson were too busy to notice. She walked along the fence as black mist enveloped her. When it cleared she was left wearing the same black clothing and cloak she was wearing when she was first released from the stone. "No sense getting the new clothes dirty." She said to herself.

Crouching, she pushed the bushes aside and examined the hole. She shook her head. It looked big enough for her, but she wasn't sure if Dyson or Bo would fit. She thought it best to try it out just in case she was wrong. Lying on her back, she grabbed the bottom of the fence. Wiggling, she pulled herself under it. It was a tight fit, but she'd been in tighter spots.

She got up and dusted herself off. Walking back to the gate, she heard Bo ask "Where's Selah?"

They were both looking at the car as she reached the gate so they didn't see her approach. She was now standing close enough to get a sense of what Dyson was feeling. She felt anger and frustration coming from him because she wasn't where he thought she should be.

This annoyed Selah. She was getting tired of doing what she thought he wanted but failing to please him.

" _It would help if he would just tell me what he expects._ " She thought. She had never had a master who frustrated her so much. But then she had never had a master who made her feel anything. Frowning, she placed her hands on her hips. "I'm right here." She huffed.

Bo and Dyson whirled around. They had been caught off guard by her and Selah could sense this made Dyson even more irritated with her.

"How did you get in there?" Bo laughed.

Selah pointed to the bushes. "There's a small hole under the fence over there." She explained. "Neither of you will fit."

Dyson went to investigate. His need to investigate and not trust her judgment about a simple hole exasperated her. Just because she was unable to track the van, did he really think her that incompetent and useless? This made her angry and determined to prove him wrong.

"Well?" Bo asked him as he came back.

"She right. It's too small." He answered.

Selah cross her arms over her chest as a smug "told you so" look appeared on her face. Dyson saw it and glared at her. Selah's smile quickly faded as she averted his gaze.

"We'll have to find another way in." He told Bo. Turning to Selah he commanded, "Sneak in and find Hale. Let me know when you've found him and don't let anyone see you."

Selah nodded. Not wanting to be seen by anyone who might be looking out one of the buildings many windows, she quickly turned into mist and slid along the driveway and into the tall grass. She coalesced near a side door and reaching out, tried the handle. It turned and the door opened. Selah knew the grass had been too tall for her master to keep track of her as she snaked along the ground so she looked back to see if he was watching. She wanted him to see that she was doing exactly as he ordered. She briefly locked eyes with him before she stepped inside and let the door close behind her.

The inside was worn and dilapidated. Old heavy curtains hung ragged and tattered from most of the windows. On the outside, the old five story building looked large, but the dim light and inability to make out any details on the ceiling or wall on the opposite side of the room made it seem monstrous. She was in the lobby of the sanatorium. There was a grand staircase off to her left, leading to the second story. It was the type of staircase you would expect to see in an expensive hotel, not a mental hospital.

"This must have been for rich and powerful people a long time ago." Selah surmised as she looked around.

Small particles of dust drifted through the air in the dim light. Large sections of paint peeled off the walls. Old chairs and couches that had once been comfortable and inviting were now covered in a thick layer of dust and debris. Holes had been chewed into them and many had become home to the bugs and rodents that infested the old place. A desk littered with files and medical charts lay abandoned and forgotten.

She stopped and listened for any sign of life. It was silent as a tomb. Noiselessly, she walked up the staircase and onto the landing. She found a door to her left. Opening it, she walked through.


	13. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Bo and Dyson watched as Selah turned into mist and glided away.

With a surprised laugh, Bo commented "I didn't know she could do that at will. Why didn't she just go through the fence then?"

Dyson had a sneaking suspicion her reason for not doing just that had something to do with Selah's need to prove herself to him. They watched as Selah took her human form before slipping inside through a side door.

"Ok, let's go." He told Bo.

They got in the car and drove around to the back of the large facility, following the massive fence. There they found a service gate that had fallen off its hinges. Getting out, Dyson crouched on the pavement and examined it for signs of the van. Bo walked around the car to see what he was looking at.

Dyson pointed. "There's a set of tire tracks leading in, but none going out." He told Bo. "They must still be here."

Not wanting to announce their arrival, they left the car and walked the rest of the way. Cautiously they approached the building. So far they hadn't seen any signs of life. They found a door to the garage. Opening it, they slipped inside. The van that had taken Hale was parked just inside the door. Dyson put a finger to his lips signaling their need for absolute quiet. Bo nodded as they crept up to it. She quickly opened the front door as Dyson opened the back. Inside they found a spare tire, some rope, duct tape and a tire iron. Dyson picked up the iron and examined it. He was relieved when it showed no signs of being used on their friend.

Searching the rest of the garage, they found a door leading to the main part of the building. It opened into a lit hallway with rows of doors on both sides. Noticing the lights had power to them, Bo remarked. "Someone must still use the building."

The hallway was lined with doors. Some were open, others were rusted shut and some rooms were missing doors all together. None held what they were looking for. The door at the end of the hallway opened onto a staircase. A big letter "B" had been painted on the wall next to the door, but it was faded and hard to see in the dim light.

They climbed the staircase in silence, aware that any sound they made might alert the kidnappers to their presence. They stopped at the ground floor and looked through the window in the door. It was dark on the other side.

Slowly, they opened the door and looked in. It led to another hallway. A broken window in one of the rooms had let the wind in which scattered papers and leaves everywhere. Dead leaves occasionally crunched under their feet as they crept along. At the end there was an open door with a light on. Voices drifted from the room. They stopped just outside the door and listened.

"You sure he's gonna send that thing?" A deep gravelly voice asked.

"Of course he's gonna send it. We have something he wants." A whiney voice hissed back.

"How are we gonna know when it gets here if that guy we took is clear up there and we're stuck down here?" The first man questioned.

"He said he'd call us when he needs us." The other man responded.

"And he's gonna pay us for it? Pay us big?" The deep voice continued.

"He already paid us half didn't he? As soon as we catch it, we turn it over to him and he pays us the rest." The second explained. "And if he tries anything funny, we know where to find him."

"But what if that thing he gave us don't work? What if we can't…" The first man said, but didn't get to finish his thought.

Standing near the door not moving made Bo's leg cramp up. She took a step back trying to stretch it and bumped into an overturned chair lying in the hallway. In the stillness the sound echoed through the empty hallway. Dyson looked at her is surprise and annoyance. Bo shrugged and mouthed sorry to him.

"What was that?" The deep voice asked.

"It was just a rat." The whiney voice chided him. "Stop being such a baby."

"I hate rats. I hate this place." The first complained. "Why can't we never find jobs that are in nice places? Like a hotel or beach somewhere?"

"Tell you what, after this we'll have enough money to take a nice long vacation anywhere you want."

"Anywhere?"

Bo and Dyson lost interest in the conversation and quietly crept away.


	14. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Selah had no idea where to start her search. She had never been in a building like this before. Sure, she had been in castles and palaces, but this was laid out differently than anything she'd seen before. She closed her eyes and concentrated. She had learned a long time ago to listen to her instincts. They were what kept her alive in training and allowed her to complete tasks given to her when all else failed. Her instincts were now telling her to go up. She searched for another staircase. She walked down the long hallway passing many rooms with old rickety beds and broken furniture. At the opposite side of the building she found a door. Opening it, she found the stairs. She crouched down to study the floor. It was covered in dust and debris. There were four sets of foot prints. Two leading up and two leading down. The prints told her they were made by the same people. One of them was carrying something heavy as they went up but not down. "They must have been carrying him." She thought to herself. Selah knew all she had to do was follow the footprints. They went all the way to the fifth floor.

Selah quietly opened the door at the top. Stepping inside, she looked down and searched for the trail she had been following. After a few steps it disappeared. The floor here had been swept clean. The hallway appeared to have been recently painted and the lights were on.

She crept forward, drawn by the noise of a television on in a distant room. She glanced into the rooms as she tiptoed down the hallway. Opening a door, Selah took a quick look inside and was about to leave when movement from a corner of the room caught her eye. It was Hale. He was tied to a chair, gagged and blindfolded. He appeared to have been roughed up quite a bit. There was a trail of blood coming from the bottom of the blindfold. His lower lip was swollen and split in the middle and a large bruise covered one cheek. His clothes were disheveled. His once pristine jacket was dirty and torn. It looked like he gave his kidnappers a hard time after he woke up. Noiselessly, she entered the room and quickly closed the door. As Selah walked over to him, she noticed his dark skin was paler than normal and his throat had red finger marks that ended with cuts around the side of his neck. She took off his blindfold revealing a cut over his left eye that was almost swollen shut. Hale's remaining good eye got wide as he recognized her. He tried to talk but only coughed into the gag. She put her finger to her lips indicating for him to stay quiet.

Selah leaned in and whispered in his ear. "I'll be back for you. There is someone else here. I have to find out who it is and where they are." She crept back to the door as Hale started to protest. She shushed him saying, "I promise I'll be back." With that she opened the door and was gone.

Selah crept further down the hallway and turned the corner. She could see that after a short distance the hallway ended and opened into a large room. As she reached the end of it she could see the flickering lights from the television reflecting off the opposite wall. This magic box Kenzie had introduced her to fascinated her. She stood for a few moments, mesmerized by how fast the colors on the wall changed. She continued on and turned the corner. The television stood at the end of the room. A comfortable chair sat in front of it with a small table beside it. To her right was a closed door. Light was coming from the small window in it. She heard someone moving on the other side.

She silently crept toward to the chair. Light from the television glinted off something metallic that rested on the table. It seemed familiar to her. As she crept closer she could see ancient runes engraved on a large metal ring with a clasp on it. It was very, very old. Her eyes opened wide and her hands started to shake as she recognized it.

"Impossible." She whispered.

The movement in the room stopped. Whoever was in there was listening.

She heard a man's voice call out, "Who's there?"

As Selah reached for the metal ring she could feel Dyson call her. "Not now!" She pleaded, but she was too shook up by what she had just found to try and resist. She turned into mist and was gone.

Bo and Dyson made a thorough search of the first two floors before Dyson decided to call Selah. He reached into his pocket and wrapped his fingers around the stone.

He looked at Bo beside him. "Here goes nothing." He told her. Looking straight ahead he called, "Selah!"

The familiar black mist poured in from every available door. It pooled in front of him and became a kneeling figure at his feet.

Selah practically leapt up as she gestured wildly. "What the hell? You couldn't wait two seconds?" She yelled.

This took Dyson and Bo by surprise. They hadn't seen Selah this agitated before.

"I almost had it. It was right there in front of me." She ranted as she paced. "If you would have waited just two seconds…" she continued but didn't get a chance to finish.

Dyson had no idea what she was babbling about. "Selah!" He yelled cutting her off. This made her stop in her tracks. "Did you find Hale?" He demanded.

"Yes I found him. He's on the top floor, tied to a chair. He's not going anywhere." She said dismissively. "But there were lights on and a television and…" she continued emphatically.

"You found him and didn't come tell us?" Bo challenged her.

In the excitement of her discovery, Selah had forgotten what her orders were. Her breath caught in her throat as she realized what she had done. She had been ordered to find Hale and report back. She completed the first part of her task, but had failed to complete the second. Her mind raced, trying to find a good excuse for not doing as she had been commanded.

"I found him." She began. "But then I realized someone else was there too. I needed to look around…" her words ran together in her hurry to justify her actions.

Dyson interrupted again. "My friend is in danger, with someone we know nothing about, and you decide to go exploring?" He growled at her.

Dyson angrily pushed past her to make his way to the stairs, but whirled back on Selah. As he passed, he pulled his hand out of his pocket, still holding the stone.

"Get back up there," he commanded, pointing to the ceiling. "Untie him and get him out of here." He pointed to the door leading to the staircase. "We'll make our way up and meet you on your way down." He pointed at her. She noticed the stone in his hand. "Understand?" he growled at her again.

Selah nodded meekly and lower her eyes. She was angry that he wouldn't listen to her. What she had to say was important. But she was also scared. She understood what the stone meant. It would be very easy to make it a living hell and sentence her to it if she failed him again.

"As you command." she quietly said before turning into mist and fading away.


	15. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Selah had already been in the room where Hale was being held so it was easy for her to go back there in her mist form. She slid under the door and took her proper form just inside. Hale saw her take shape and started grunting and couching at her indicating he wanted her to take the gag off and untie him. Selah hurried over and removed the gag.

"It's about…" he tried to say but the words came out more as a cough. Selah thought his coughing would alert the person in the other room so she shushed him as she untied him.

"It's about time you got back. What took you so long.?" He hoarsely whispered.

"You can blame my tardiness on my master." She grumbled. "I would have been back sooner but he wanted an update."

"You shouldn't have left me here in the first place!" Hale chided her.

Selah narrowed her eyes menacingly at him but said nothing. She had already been yelled at and threatened by her master. She was in no mood to be yelled at by his friend too. She finished untying him. Hale stood up as Selah crept to the door, one of her swords forming in her hand.

"Wait here." She ordered.

"What do you mean wait here? I've been here too long already." Hale tried to say but it only ended in more coughing. He put a hand to his throat and rubbed it. His sore throat reminded him of the beating he took after he woke up in the van. He remembered trying to escape but the large man in the back with him objected to the tune he whistled as he tried to make the driver pull over. He could still feel the large man's hand closing around his throat, cutting off his air supply. He started for the door.

"Wait here until I make sure it's safe." She ordered. "Or do you want to argue with my sword?" she asked waving it menacingly in his direction.

Hale put his hands up defensively and took a step back. "Nope. Waiting here sounds just fine to me." He reassured her. "Just don't take so long this time."

Selah smiled sarcastically at him as she opened the door. Silently she walked to the end of the hallway. The television had been turned off as had the light in the adjoining room. She crept to the table near the chair. It was empty.

Selah sighed disappointedly. "No point in trying to hide what I am now." She said to herself. Someone had the collar and she suspected they knew how to use it. She walked back to the room to tell Hale it was clear. When Selah opened the door she found Hale leaning against the chair looking pale and sick. Selah was beginning to think there was more wrong with him than a few bruises and a sore throat. She motioned for him to follow as she led the way to the stairs.

They made it to the fourth floor without incident. Half way to the third floor Hale was out of breath and had to lean against the wall for support. He looked at her as he caught his breath. She seemed irritated that it was taking so long.

"Just give me a minute." He told her.

Selah was irritated but it was with her master and how he had treated her. His total disregard for what she needed to tell him angered her and she vowed to tell him at soon as her would let her. But watching Hale struggle just to keep up made her realize she had no right to take her anger out on him. Her face gave way to pity and concern as she let her sword turn back into mist. She knew that doing so would leave them vulnerable, but Hale obviously needed her help if they were going to get him out. She grabbed his arm and put it over her shoulder.

"Lean against me." She said gently.

Hale almost had to double over to lean on her. Even in his weakened state, Hale saw the humor in it and coughed out a small laugh as they continued down the stairs. Still, he was surprised that she was able to hold him up with relative ease. They limped down the last of the stairs to the landing on the third floor. Selah had Hale lean against the wall next to the door so she could open it and make sure it was clear. She put Hale's arm around her shoulders again as they stepped into the hallway letting the door close behind them.

Selah looked at him and thought about what she did to him earlier at the Dal. She felt guilty about the way she had treated him and the fact that he was here at all. She had a suspicion that whoever had the collar had taken Hale to get to her.

Selah glanced up at Hale. "Look," She began. "About earlier, in the bar, I…"

She didn't get a chance to finish. They heard running feet ahead of them. Selah was trying to lean Hale up against a wall so she would be free to protect them when they saw Bo and Dyson run around the corner at the end of the hallway. The sight of Hale leaning against Selah made them run faster.

Bo reached them first. "You look like shit!" She told Hale as she grabbed his free arm and put it around her shoulder. As Dyson reached them, Selah let him take Hale's other arm.

"I feel like it too." Hale hoarsely whispered. He wasn't even trying to hide how bad he felt. This worried Dyson.

Selah was close enough to Dyson to pick up on that concern and just how serious Hale's condition must be.

"Oh shit." She thought. She hadn't realized just how bad off he was. "If he dies it'll be my fault." Sure, he had been irritating at the Dal, but she had to admit she was starting to like the guy. Not to mention what Dyson would do to her.

Selah took point and lead the way down the hall, her sword forming once again in her hand as they went.


	16. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

The going had been slow because of Hale's injuries. As they passed through the door on the first floor they heard running footsteps on the staircase behind them and loud voices getting closer. They ran down the hallway as best they could and passed through the door on the opposite side. It seemed like the faster they ran, the closer their pursuers got.

Finally they reached the set of double doors leading into the lobby. Selah ran through first stopping only long enough to hold one of the doors open for Bo who was supporting Hale. She let go of the door as Dyson got to it and ran to the top of the stairs. She pulled up short as she looked below her.

As Dyson turned to shut the door behind them, he saw several men running down the hallway they had just come through. Slamming the door, he picked up a chair near it and broke off a leg. He threaded it through the door handles effectively locking them shut. He turned around to see the other three stopped at the top of the stairs. He hurried up behind them. At the bottom of the staircase, were ten of the biggest guys any of them had ever seen and most were armed.

"Aw crap!" Bo exclaimed. She looked to Dyson. "Now what?" she panted.

Dyson looked at the group. He knew Hale was in no condition to fight. By the looks of him, if they didn't get him to a doctor soon he wouldn't make it. He knew Bo could take on two of them, but she was tired from running and helping him carry Hale. Pounding came from the door behind them. He knew that chair leg wouldn't last long. The situation looked grim. He couldn't see a way to get them all out.

Selah assessed the situation. She knew something was seriously wrong with Hale and they needed to get him out now. If they all stayed to fight, he would die. Selah's orders were to get Hale out, and she was determined to do just that anyway she could. She took a couple steps back to stand near Dyson, never taking her eyes off the crowd at the bottom of the stairs.

"Master?" She started. "There's a side door at the bottom of the stairs on the right. It was open earlier. With luck, it still will be." Selah suspected the group below them was after her. If they were, she hoped they left a way for the others to escape so they could all concentrate on her. "Take them through it." She quietly offered. "I will distract them and give you time to get out." Even if they weren't just after her, she planned to keep them all busy long enough to let the others escape.

Dyson stepped closer to her. He eyed the men below. Some of them had to be descended from giants and most carried clubs made of metal while others carried long sharp knives. He didn't like the looks of it.

"Not even you can take them all on." He quietly told her. His concern was touching but she had no intention of taking them all on for very long.

Pounding came from behind them, louder this time. Selah thought the men chasing them must have found something to use as a ram on the door Dyson had barred shut. She knew they were running out of time..

"I know that." She told him. "And you know that. But they don't know that." She grinned playfully at him. Suddenly serious, she said, "Just… take care of him." Inclining her head in Hale's direction she stated. "He's your first priority. Call me when you get to the car." She turned back to the crowd below. "I'm sure I can keep them preoccupied for at least that long."

Dyson leaned closer and whispered in her ear, "Be careful." Selah nodded her head as she started slowly down the stairs. "As you command." She said loud enough for the men at the bottom of the stairs to hear as menacing smile spread across her face. Dyson walked over to take Hale's other arm. They started down the right side of the staircase.

As Selah descended her eyes began to glow red as her second sword formed in her hand. A black and red aura began emanating from her, its undulating tendrils rolled down the stairs making the men hesitate. It took a moment before one of them gathered enough courage to attack. He rushed Bo and Dyson. This spurred two men with clubs to rushed Selah. Dyson let go of Hale. His fingernails turned into claws in an instant as he snarled and raked the man across his chest leaving long bloody trails. The man threw a punch aimed at Dyson's head but he easily dodged it and punched the man in the stomach making him double over. The surprise of the punch left the man unbalanced. A well aimed kick sent him tumbling down the stairs. One of the men attacking Selah swung his club at her head. She ducked under his arm and spun around slicing his midsection with both swords. This made him stumble down a few steps. She then turned and lunged at the second man with both swords stabbing him through the chest. He fell dead at her feet.

Bo got Hale to the bottom of the steps just as Dyson sent his man tumbling to the bottom of the staircase. Dyson was right behind them. He was about to grab Hale's free arm but another man rushed him. Dyson let him get close before grabbing the man by the head and twisting his neck. The man crumbled at his feet, his neck broken. Grabbing Hale's arm, Dyson placed it around his shoulders and hurried to the open door.

Four more rushed Selah as Dyson and Bo carried Hale out. Two carried long knives. One made to stab her in the chest. She parried this as the second man stabbed low. She sidestepped it at the same time she parried the first man's thrust. The other two men held clubs. One moved behind her, his swing connected with her left shoulder sending pain down her arm, throwing her slightly off balance. She quickly recovered and turned to slice his arm making him cry out in pain and drop his weapon. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a club on her right aiming for her head. She ducked and the club impacted on the shoulder of the guy whose arm she had just sliced. She missed seeing the knife aimed for her right leg until after it cut deeply into her flesh. She screamed in anger as it cut deeply into her flesh. Pain radiated from the wound but it didn't last long. Over the years she had built up so much spare magic, the cut healed in a matter of minutes. The fact that she had been inattentive enough for him to draw blood in the first place infuriated her.

She heard the chair leg in the door upstairs splinter and break as five men burst through. She knew she was in trouble. She turned her attention to the man who sliced her leg and cut the knife from his hand. He screamed in pain as he looked at his injured hand. He looked back at Selah. A thick, sickly green gas emanated from his open mouth. Selah held her breath. Covering her mouth and nose with her arm, she backed away. The three other men she had been fighting dropped to the floor unconscious. She realized he was one of the men who had taken Hale.

As the five men descended the staircase, Selah swung a sword wide to try and slow then down. As she turned to run, she felt something slip around her outstretched arm. Her arm jerked as the rope around her wrist pull tight. Her sword disappeared as the magic to her hand was cut off and the aura surrounding her diminished slightly. She turned to look at the man holding the rope. She swung her other sword, trying to cut the rope from her left wrist. Before she could, she felt another rope slide onto her right arm. The man holding the second rope pulled it tight, cutting off the magic to that sword as well, diminishing her aura even more.

They pulled her arms on opposite sides and held her in place as she struggled against the ropes. The men from the staircase reached the bottom and encircled her. She looked around at their leering faces. They jeered and taunted her. They thought they had her, but she knew the ropes wouldn't hold her for long. Her leg had already healed and she could feel the magic building just below the ropes. Soon it would burn through them and she would be free.

She felt Dyson calling her. She couldn't turn to mist just yet. The magic is what made the change and it had been cut off from her hands. She really didn't want to leave them behind. But as soon as the ropes were gone she would turn to mist and be away from there.

She chuckled at the men holding the ropes. This unnerved them. She could see the fear in their eyes. This was the kind of looks she was used to getting and she relished it. The ropes began the smolder. Two men stepped toward her out of the circle. She looked at them. They were big and strong. She figured what they planned on doing was going to hurt, but with the way the ropes were smoking, it wouldn't last long. As they got closer she noticed one was carrying something. Her eyes got big and she panicked as she recognized it. He carried the collar she had seen on the table on the fifth floor. She struggled harder against the ropes. She had to get free before they could use it. She tried to will the magic to build faster, but to no avail.

One of the men grabbed her by the hair, forcing her head up as the other slipping the collar around her neck. She heard a click as he fastened it. She could feel it immediately as the power of the collar severed her connection to the magic inside her. The black and red menacing aura around her disappeared.

"No!" She screamed.

The ropes stopped smoldering. She continued to struggle against them, hoping they had burned through enough to let her break them but she was too weak. The magic had given her strength beyond that of a normal human but her link to it was gone now. The men in front of her laughed at her struggle.

"No use struggling girlie." One of them laughed. "You're not going anywhere."

"Let's just take her to him so we can all get paid." The other one suggested. The men roared their approval. The two holding the ropes relaxed just enough to let the rope go slack.

Feeling the tension in the ropes lessen, Selah lunged for the biggest guy. She punched him in the stomach, then grabbed his groin and twisted, dropping him to his knees. This surprised the men circling her. The ones with the ropes pulled them tight again, stopping her from attacking anyone else.

The man left standing in front of her slammed his brick of a fist into the side of her head. The first punch sent her head reeling. The second dropped her to her knees. She saw the men closing in around her, each of them anxious to get in on the action. The third punch landed squarely on her jaw, dislocating it. Mercifully it also knocked her unconscious. As she slipped into nothingness she heard laughter. She hated people laughing at her.


	17. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Bo and Dyson carried Hale to the car. He was still walking but he had to lean on them both heavily for support. He wasn't trying to talk anymore and had a glassy look in his eyes. It seemed to take all his concentration and energy just to keep putting one foot in front of the other. Bo opened the car door while Dyson put him inside. Dyson took the stone out of his pocket as Bo shut the car door. He took a few steps toward the building and called "Selah!" He waited expectantly. Nothing happened.

Bo looked around. "Where is she?"

Confused, he looked at her. "I don't know. Something's wrong."

He looked at Hale in the car, then back at the building. He was torn. He knew Hale needed help now but Selah hadn't come when he called. Was she in trouble or had she broken the control the stone had over her and gone rogue. He was afraid it was the latter. Either way, her absence was not a good sign.

"Selah!" Dyson called louder this time.

Dyson took a few steps toward the abandoned building before Bo reached out a hand and stopped him.

"Dyson! We gotta go!" Bo reminded him. "Hale needs help now."

Dyson knew she was right. He had to leave and come back later. Taking one last an anxious look at the building, he growled in frustration and pounded his fist on the top of the car before getting in.

Dyson drove as fast as he could to the Ash's compound. The Ash was the leader of the light Fae. At his compound was a human doctor who specialized in Fae maladies. They hoped she would be able to help Hale.

Bo called Dr. Lauren on the way over and filled her in. Dyson also asked her to call Trick, fill him in, and have him meet them there. A pretty, fair skinned woman with blonde hair met them at the door of the clinic as they carried Hale in.

"Put him over there." Dr. Lauren anxiously directed them. Bo and Dyson carried Hale to the closest bed and laid him down. They moved out of the way so Lauren could examine him. She felt his pulse. It was weak, but steady. She pulled open his eyes and shone a light in them. He pupils dilated slightly.

"Tell me again about what you saw outside the bar." She told Dyson as she completed her examination.

Trick walked in as Dyson told her about walking out of the bar and the two men dragging Hale into a van. He described the man with the snake skin and the green cloud Hale was pulled through.

Dr. Lauren grabbed a vile and syringe. Sticking the syringe in the vile, she pulled the plunger filling it with a clear liquid.

Using it to inject Hale, she explained, "Sounds like it was an Apophis."

"Apophis?" Bo asked.

Dr. Lauren nodded. Trick explained. "In ancient Egypt, they were worshipped as the god of chaos. They thrive on war and destruction. They have been trying for centuries to break the truce between the dark and light Fae."

"This should counteract the poison quickly." She said pulling the needle out of Hale's arm. She used piece of gauze to put pressure on the injection site before checking his eyes and pulse again. His eyes reacted to the light better this time. She gave a sigh of relief. "If you had gotten here any later, he would have been too far gone."

"What can you tell me about this Apophis? I need to know how to fight it." Dyson demanded.

Turning to Dyson, she briefed him, "They have venom sacks located at the base of their throats." She demonstrated on Dyson to show precisely where they were located. "They have venom similar to a Death Adder, very deadly, but the Apophis venom is in gas form. They emit it from the mouth but they have to build it up first. If you take them by surprise and grab their throat like this," She grabbed Dyson's throat. "You'll block the ducts and they won't be able to…" she paused searching for the right words.

"Gas you?" Bo offered.

Dr. Lauren laughed and nodded as she released him. "Yeah." Suddenly serious, she continued. "Why did they take Hale anyway?"

Bo glanced at Dyson. Foundlings had been outlawed for a long time. If the Ash found out Dyson had one, there was no telling what he would do. She wasn't sure how much she should tell Lauren because the doctor belonged to the Ash.

"We're still not sure." Bo told her.

"He might have information about a friend of mine who's missing." Dyson informed her.

"The Foundling?" Lauren asked.

This surprised them. Seeing the shocked looks on their faces, Lauren smiled and quickly explained. "Trick called me earlier and filled me in. He was worried you might need my help sedating her should she become dangerous."

"We just might." Dyson advised her.

"Dyson." Trick said getting his attention. "What happened at the asylum?"

Dyson and Bo quickly filled them in about getting to the hospital, Selah finding Hale but not telling them, the large number of men waiting after they finally got him, and then Selah suggesting she hold them off so they could get him to the car.

"But she didn't come when I called her. I'm worried she's found a way to break the stone's control over her." Dyson confided in them. "She wasn't acting right. She wasn't doing as she was told like a normal Foundling. If she's free…" Dyson worried. "We still don't know what she's capable of." Dyson turned to Trick. "Did you find the collar?" He asked.

"What collar?" Bo asked.

"It was used to control the Foundlings before they were sold." Trick explained. "One is owned by Bedri Zahir. It's been in his family for generations."

"Bedri Zahir?" Dyson responded. He recognized the name.

"You know him?" Bo asked.

"I know of him. His name was in a file I looked at this morning. He's suspected of dealing in illegal Fae weapons but they can't seem to make the charges stick." He explained.

"Illegal FAE weapons?" Bo asked sarcastically.

Trick huffed out a laugh. "You'd be surprised how creative some Fae get with their weapons."

"And I supposed he wouldn't just let us borrow it." Bo said ruefully.

Trick grimaced. "Not likely."

"Guess we're just gonna have to steal it." Bo told them. She took out her phone and waved it at them. Grinning, she offered, "I'll call Kenzie. This is right up her alley."

"Bo wait!" Trick stopped to her. "There's a problem."

Dyson frowned. "What problem?"

"Word on the street is the collar was already stolen." Trick explained. "This afternoon."

Bo walked back at this news. "Stolen?"

Trick nodded. "Yeah, but for someone as rich and powerful as he is, he's not doing much to finding it or who stole it."

"You think he knows more then he's telling?" Bo suggested.

Trick nodded. "With the ambush waiting for you at the hospital and Selah not returning when you called…" He didn't finish the thought.

"You think he was after Selah?" Dyson couldn't understand it.

Trick shrugged. "It's possible."

"But how could he have known?" Bo wondered.

"The Apophis saw her in the Dal this morning and there was no mistaking what she was then." Trick explained. "He feeds off chaos. Think of all the chaos that can be created with just one Foundling.

"You think Hale was the bait?" Dyson asked.

Trick nodded.

"Then maybe she hasn't gone off by herself." Bo said hopefully.

"It's possible." Trick agreed. "It could also be that she broke free from the stone and went willingly. Foundlings are not known for their loyalty. When the stone changes hands, so does their allegiance."

Dyson looked at him questioningly. "What happened between you two at the Dal?" He asked.

"That's not important right now." He told them, avoiding the question. "Right now, you need to find out what happened to her. If someone managed to put the collar on her, they might try to use her. Remember, the collar was used to control Foundlings first. Its magic is as strong as or stronger than the stone."

"But what good is she to them if the collar cancels out her magic?" Bo asked.

"Even without their magic Foundlings are dangerous. You need to find out what they have planned for her." Trick ordered them.

"And if she left on her own." Dyson added.

"Let's hope that's not the case. The last thing we need is a Foundling on the loose." Trick dreaded to think what would happen if the Ash found out they had anything to do with that.

"Looks like we need to find us a snake man." Bo grinned at Dyson.


	18. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Selah didn't know how long she had been unconscious or where she was. When she came to she found her hands bound, her cloak taken off and a cloth sack pulled over her head. She was being carried over the shoulder of someone very large. Her heart sank as she felt the cold metal around her neck. She knew as long as she wore it escaping would be a hundred times harder. It fastened in the back and was too tight to turn around. With her hands bound she couldn't reach around to the back of her neck and undo the clasp.

The pain from the beating they gave her as she fell unconscious was aggravated by every bump as she bounced along. A horrible pain in her side told her she had a couple broken ribs, while the pain in her face reminded her that her jaw had been dislocated. She grabbed her chin with both hands and wrenched it back in place. Pain tore through her head as it popped back in. Her body stiffened as she stifled a scream.

"Looks like she's awake." A deep voice said.

"Good." A thin, whiney voice answered. "I want another go at her after what she did."

Selah reached up to pull the fabric covering her head. She wanted to see who had captured her, wanted to know their faces. Then, when she was free, she would know who to kill first. Someone grabbed her hands preventing her from taking the hood off.

"Oh no you don't." the whiney voice snarled.

Suddenly a fist slammed into the side of her face. The blow sent her head spinning. Selah growled in frustration. She knew that struggling wouldn't help right now and would only cause her more pain. She was angry at them for catching her but angrier at herself for being caught.

She thought of the fight earlier. She knew she could have returned to her master when he called but she would have had to leave her hands behind. Technically, since he was the one who would have caused her to lose her hands, she should have been able to heal quickly and grow new ones. But her magic may not have picked up on that technicality and she would have shown up with two bloody stumps instead of hands. It wouldn't have killed her, and eventually they would have grown back, but she didn't want to take the chance of going through that kind of pain. Instead she chose to stay, hoping her magic would burn through the rope in time. Her heart sank even lower as she realized she was there because of her choices.

" _Maybe this is why we were always punished so severely for disobeying._ " She thought with dismay.

A few more steps and they stopped. She heard a door open behind her. Stepping through the door, the lumbering giant carrying her turned to close it and cracked her head against the door frame.

"Watch it Hercules!" Selah sarcastically complained.

"Here she is Dr. Fisher." the whiney voice said.

"Did you have any problems?" A disembodied voice asked. It was male, but not very deep.

She could feel the one carrying her shake his head. "It went just like you said."

"Did not!" His companion complained. "Look what she did to my hand!"

Selah smiled at that. " _I'll do more than slice your hand after I get free._ " She thought.

"Bring her here." The new voice commanded.

She was dumped unceremoniously onto the floor, striking her right shoulder. Pain radiated down her arm and into her back, telling her it had been injured sometime during the fight, but she gave no sign that it hurt. Hands gripped her by the shoulders, injuring it more, and roughly pulled her to her knees. The sack over her head was torn off. Bright light stabbed at her eyes as she squinted and tried to shield them with her hands as they adjusted. A new face swam into view.

Short, grey hair, stylishly combed sat on top of a thin angular face with slightly sunken cheeks. A well trimmed grey mustache and goatee decorated the lower half of the face. Neatly trimmed eyebrows sat atop cold steel grey blue eyes. Selah assumed this was Mr. Fisher, the owner of the voice she heard earlier. He was dressed in a white lab coat over a light blue polo shirt and black slacks. Shiny black leather shoes reflected the light from over head. He looked at Selah, appraising her.

He could see the anger and frustration in her face. Could smell the pain from the beating his men had given her and the anguish she felt at being captured. " _Yes. She will be very tasty._ " He smiled at the thought.

Avoiding his gaze, Selah looked around to see where she was and who else was in the room. The walls, floor and ceiling were all a stark white. Everything was clean. Not at all like the building she had been in before. There was a cold metal bed with no mattress and a stool. Two machines with clear, empty bags and tubing hanging from them stood on either side of the bed. Everything appeared to be on wheels making it possible to rearrange quickly and easily. A small wooden desk sat in a corner. A box with wires coming out of it sat on top next to something that looked like a small, thin television, but the picture on it never changed. Kneeling on the floor, Selah could see manacles hanging from the foot of the bed and also at the side about waist high. There was a thicker strap in the middle. Selah understood what manacles were for. They had been used on her before. But then those had been made of metal. These appeared to be leather and fur lined. Everything else in the room was foreign to her. The only people there were her, the two men that brought her in, and Mr. Fisher.

She looked at her hands, ignoring the bruises up and down her arms. " _If I could find a way to cut the rope from my hands,_ " she thought. " _I could unbuckle this damn collar and kill these bastards._ "

She looked back at the small desk and wondered if she would find something there that would help her.

Almost as if he read her mind, "Hold her." Fisher ordered the man that had carried her. Large hands grabbed her again, dragging her to her feet. Fisher stepped in front of her getting too close for comfort. He enjoyed her discomfort. He brought his face close to hers. In a normal situation no one would have suspected the man of harming anyone. He had the face of someone you could trust. But Selah found him creepy and repulsive. She turned away and tried to step back but the man holding her prevented it. Fisher put his nose in her hair and breathed in, trying to get a better sense of the delights that awaited him. Even though he didn't look it she could tell this man was dangerous and sadistic. Moving back a little he brought up a small pad lock and showed it to her. "I have something to adorn that pretty necklace you're wearing." He teased as he ran a finger along the collar. His touch made her feel sick and dirty. She cringed. He looked at the man behind her. "Turn her around." He coldly ordered.

She struggled against the big brute forcing her to do as Fisher commanded but he was too strong for her to resist. She heard a quiet click as the lock was pushed into place. There was no way she could get the collar off now. It may have been small but the lock was effective. In her weakened state she knew she couldn't break it. Without help, there was no hope of escape.

She thought of her master and his friends. Had they made it out? Had she bought them enough time? Then another thought occurred to her. Could they be looking for her? She knew she couldn't escape, but if her master was out there looking for her, she wasn't about to give up without a fight.

"Put her on the bed and strap her down." Fisher commanded.

Selah's head flew up as she tried to hit the large man in the face with her bound hands. She missed as he dodged. The man with the whiney voice grabbed her right arm, digging his claw like fingernails into her flesh. She winced from the pain, but gave no other sign that it hurt as she struggled. The larger man grabbed her other arm.

They dragged her to the cold metal bed, pulling her onto it. The larger of the two men held her down as she struggled while the thin one tried to buckle the restraints around her kicking legs. One foot landed squarely on his nose. Blood gushed out as he stumbled back, swearing at her.

"That wasn't very nice." The larger of the men told her as he slammed a fist into her side knocking the wind out of her. The adrenalin she had been running on made her temporarily forget her broken ribs. This blow reminded her.

She doubled up in pain, trying to catch her breath. She felt a hand grab her leg and a restraint secured around it. Quickly her other leg was locked down as well. They secured her upper arms next before taking the rope off her wrists. Her hand shot out, aiming for the throat of the nearest guy, but the restraint on her upper arm limited her movement and her hand stopped short of its target.

She heard Fisher chuckling from somewhere above her head as the two men each grabbed a wrist and finished pinning her down. The last thing they did was secured a strap around her waist limiting her movement even further. She struggled, testing their method of binding her. To her dismay, it was very effective.

"Now the IV's." He ordered. Selah looking at the men in confusion and fear. She had never heard of an IV before. She watched as both men grabbed rubber tubing and tied it tightly around her upper arms. It wasn't very painful so Selah wondered what it was for. They turned and each grabbed a large needle. Selah had never seen a needle before, but she understood what sharp metal was capable of doing to the human body. She struggled against her bindings making it hard for them to find their mark as they tried to stab her arms with the needles. The large man put his needle down and laid himself across her torso, effectively limiting her struggle. He grabbed her arm on the opposite side so she couldn't move it and his partner could insert the needle. She winced a little as it stabbed into her flesh. She was surprised. She expected it to hurt more. When he removed it, Selah saw a plastic tube protruding from her arm, leading to one of the machines sitting nearby. He attached one of the clear plastic bags to the machine nearest him. They repeated the process for the other arm. When they were finished they stepped back giving Fisher room.

He came around to inspect her, poking and prodding in various places, gauging her response. She tried not to give any. Turning her head away, she refused to look at him. This only amused him.

Reaching her right shoulder, he poked it a few times, then pressed more firmly. She ever so slightly moved away from his fingers to relieve some of the pain the pressure caused.

"Here." He told the large man. He pressed firmly with two fingers into her shoulder. "Right here."

The large man walked around the bed to her right side. He grabbed her shirt at the shoulder and pulled. Tearing it, he revealed her bare skin. A large bruise covered a good portion of her shoulder. He put a finger where Fisher had placed his. Right in the middle of the bruise. Selah noticed the large man's finger covered more of her skin then two of Fisher's had. This guys hands were massive.

"Here?" He looked at Fisher for confirmation. Fisher nodded.

He made a fist with his other hand and brought it quickly down. He raised it and brought it down again, harder this time. Selah tried not to cry out as he hammered her shoulder. The guy had good aim. Every time he brought his fist down he seemed to hit exactly the same spot no matter how much she squirmed to get away. Suddenly there was a sickening pop as her shoulder dislocated.

"Stop!" Fisher commanded. The large man moved back giving Fisher room to reexamine her. He poked and prodded her shoulder again harder this time. Pushing his fingers in between the shoulder socket and her arm bone, he forced the gap between them to widen, ensuring that the bone would not return to the socket easily. Selah tried not to make any sound. She didn't want to give him the satisfaction but the pain was too much for her. A small whimpering groan escaped her throat. She hadn't realized just how much her magic deadened the pain of injuries until now.

Fisher looked at the man who had been pounding on her shoulder. An evil smile spread across his face. "I think she's been tenderized enough." He looked back at Selah before continuing. "For now." He told her. Without looking at the men, he waved, dismissing them. "You may go."

"What about our pay?" The thin man whined.

"See the receptionist on your way out." He responded. He looked at the big guy. "I'll call you again when I need your… services." He looked at Selah's injured shoulder as he said the last word.

Fisher's two lackeys left the room as he circled her. He reminded her of a predator circling its prey. Nonchalantly he reached down, took off the rubber tubing the men had left on her upper arms before opened the valves on the IV's as he past them. He opening them just enough for her blood to start trickling out. Selah watched in surprise as the tubes slowly turned red with her blood. She had seen blood spilled before but never like this. Not in such a controlled manner. It sickened, yet fascinated her. Fisher pulled the stool around to the head of the bed and sat on it. Selah tried to crane her neck so she could see him, but the pain in her shoulder prevented it. She settled for looking as far above her head as she could without moving.

Fisher placed a hand on each side of her head, cradling it. His touch was surprisingly light, almost tender. He moved so she could see him and smiled at her sadistically.

"This is going to hurt. Please feel free to scream." He encouraged her. "This room has been sound proofed." He moved so she could no longer see him. "Now, where shall we begin?" He asked rhetorically.

She felt his fingernails dig into her scalp as tiny tendrils snaked out of his fingertips. At the end of each tendril was a small mouth with scalpel sharp teeth. They pulsed with magic as they started boring into her head. Selah struggled, trying to break his hold on her. The pain from the tendrils, along with the pain from her shoulder and the rest of her injuries was more than she could bear. Selah screamed as his tendrils bore into her head. They penetrated her skull, reaching her brain. Some of the tendrils latched on to the parts of her brain that registered the pain from her injuries. Other tendrils latched onto parts of her brain storing memories. She could feel his magic pulsing, penetrating her mind. She saw memories of torture and death, pain and loss, horrible memories she wanted desperately to forget. She knew what he was now. He was an Aegis, a creature that feed off of pain and suffering. Mental, physical, emotional, didn't matter to him, he enjoyed it all.

Selah tried to control her thoughts. Tried to think of times when she felt safe, happy or wanted. She tried to think of her master allowing her to eat with him and his friends, the shopping trip with Kenzie, even the short ride in her master's car. Anything except what Fisher wanted her to. But she had very few memories like that and his magic was strong. He brought up the memory of her life in the stone. All the horrible things she had been forced to live. Selah struggled against the bindings holding her and whimpered. She realized she would feed him for a very long time and when he was done, he would leave her an empty shell. On the inside she would be a husk devoid of all emotion, on the outside a killing machine. She would be back where she started.

This was the part Fisher liked best. It made him feel like a chef tasting ingredients, trying to decide how best to use them. The tendrils waited, dormant, as he searched her mind for a memory that piqued his culinary interest.

He grinned as he found a particularly nasty, but tasty memory. The tendrils began sucking up the pain from her injuries. These were the herbs and spices. But like any herb or spice, you only needed a small amount to flavor a dish. He left plenty of that intact so he could use it in his next meal. The emotions from the memories he pulled from her mind were the main ingredient. He licked his lips as he began to feast.

…

Fisher retracted his tentacles, his magic closing the holes they had created as they retracted. He sat back with a satisfied sigh. He couldn't remember ever eating that well. He looked at Selah as she lay on the bed. Her breathing came in short gasps. She was drained emotionally as well as physically. Her face was pale and wet, her eyes vacant. He pulled the stool around the side of the bed to get a better look at her. Selah blinked. All his other meals would have been dead long before now. No one had ever satisfied his hunger like this. He put his face close to hers and breathed in. He could smell there was a lot left for him to eat too.

Selah blinked again and turned her head away. She closed her eyes trying to block out what had just happened to her. He had violated her in a way she never thought possible. She shuddered as Fisher ran his tongue up the side of her face, tasting her sweat and tears. Her debasement and humiliation tasted like Milk Chocolate and Salted Caramel on his tongue. Sweet, yet salty. Selah swallowed hard, trying not to vomit.

He chuckled as he checked to make sure she was still properly restrained. He then closed the valves on the IV's, stopping any more of her blood from trickling out. He detached and inspected each bag. They held over a pint of blood each. The man that gave him this gift would be very pleased.

He attached new bags but didn't open the IV's. He would save that for later. Turning out the lights, he locked the door behind him.

Selah was left alone with only her thoughts. She wanted nothing more than to curl up into a ball, but he hadn't afforded her even that much comfort. She hoped her master wouldn't mind if she slept.

"Just for a little while." She told herself. It had been a long day.


	19. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Hale lay on a hospital bed looking an odd shade of green. Dr. Lauren and Dyson stood a couple steps away with Trick and Bo. Grabbing two Epipens, she gave one to Bo and Dyson each.

"I've filled these with a single dose of the antivenin, one for each of you. If you get poisoned use it immediately." She directed them. "The longer you wait, the longer it takes to counteract it. You'll only have 3 hours to administer it. Any longer than that and it will be fatal."

"What about Selah?" Dyson asked. "If she's been poisoned…" He didn't finish the thought.

"Yeah." Bo chimed in. "Shouldn't we have an extra one just in case?"

"No." Lauren looked at Trick. "If I understand it correctly, Selah's magic should protect her from almost anything, including being poisoned even if she's wearing the collar." Trick nodded.

Dyson looked at Bo. "We better get going." Turning to Lauren he said "Thanks."

"Hey!" Hale croaked out. They all turned to look at him. "I'm coming too." Even in his debilitated state, he realized that Selah put herself on the line to get him out. He rolled off the bed and onto his feet. Almost immediately his legs collapsed beneath him. Lauren and Dyson ran to grab him as he fell.

Dyson grinned at him. "You're not going anywhere buddy."

"Not until tomorrow at the earliest." Lauren insisted as they helped him back on the bed. "You need to sleep it off."

"What happened to your voice anyway?" Dyson asked.

"One of them didn't seem to appreciate music." He ginned at his friend. Dyson chuckled and grinned back. "Hey! You know I ain't going down without a fight." Hale said with false bravado. Hale leaned in closer to Dyson and said in a low, hoarse voice, "Bring her back. I heard the men talking in the van. I don't think she took off willingly." The last of his sentence came out as a coughing whisper as Hale lost his voice completely.

"Ok. You need rest." Lauren commanded Hale as she pushed Dyson away from him. "And no talking. You need to rest your voice before you lose it permanently."

"We'll be back." Dyson reassured his friend. He turned back to Trick and Bo. "Ready?" He asked her. Bo nodded.

Trick looked at them both gravely. "Bring her back whether she wants to or not. There's no telling what they have planned for her."

Bo and Dyson made it to the sanitarium as the sun was beginning to set, debris flying as they raced down the litter strewn driveway at the back of the building. Throwing caution to the wind, Dyson steered them onto the grass so he could park as close to the lobby door as possible. They leapt out of the car and ran through the door. In the waning light, they saw a multitude of footprints on the lobby floor. Areas of it had been almost swept clean because of all the foot traffic. Dyson could tell Selah put up quiet a fight. In the center he found blood. Crouching down, he touched it with two fingers. Bringing them up to his nose, he sniffed. He could smell blood from two different people, one human and one Fae.

"She's hurt." He told Bo as he stood. Dyson was getting concerned.

"But she can heal quickly, right?" She asked anxiously.

"I don't know." He replied. "There's a lot I don't know about her and with that collar on…" He didn't finish the sentence.

Dyson looked around. "Most of the footprints lead back upstairs." He told Bo. "But two go off in that direction." He said, pointing to a door on the ground floor. "None of them belong to Selah. She must have been captured. This way." He led them through the door on the ground floor.

They pushed through worn and broken doors, traipsing through garbage littered halls. The footprints were easy to follow and led through the hospital cafeteria.

"It looks like they laid her here." He said pointing to a table. A small body shaped area of dust had been disturbed. Judging by how little the dust had been disturbed, he told Bo, "She wasn't moving." A length of cut rope was still there. Now Bo started to worry. They hurried as they continued following the footprints to a door that led downstairs and into the garage. It was empty. The van that brought Hale to the hospital was gone. A set of tire tracks led out the back gate and into the quickly falling darkness.


	20. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Selah stood in the doorway of the Dal. In the dim light, it appeared to be empty as she walked in, letting the door close behind her. She stopped in the middle of the room and turned in a circle. "Hello?" Her voice echoed off the walls of the empty room. Turning back around, she faced the bar. A lone figure sat on one of the stools with their back to her, a drink in one hand. She watched as they brought it to their lips and sipped from the glass before placing on the counter. She took a step forward to get a closer look. It was Dyson.

"Master?" she called. It was so good to see him. Relief and happiness flooded her. She couldn't remember how she got there and she didn't care. She made to go to him but he turned around stopping her in her tracks. His eyes were black and yellow, his teeth elongated, and his fingernails had turned into claws. As he stood up she felt intense emotions coming off him in waves. Grief, anger, hatred, wave after wave, each buffeting her harder than the last. The intensity shocked and frightened her making her catch her breath. She lowered her head, unable to look at him.

"You disobeyed me." He growled at her. "I told you to come to me after you found Hale but you didn't! You left him there, tied up, alone and in pain."

Selah looked at him. "Master, I'm sorry, I…" She tried to explain, but he cut her off.

"No! You don't get to talk. You will listen." He ordered. Selah mutely nodded her head and lowered it again.

He walked over to her, circling as he continued. "You left my friend hurt and alone. I had to send you twice to get him. And then, after we got to the car, I called you and you didn't come." He stopped in front of her, his eyes fierce and unyielding. "We waited for you! And you never came!" He yelled. "He died because of you!"

The revelation broke Selah's heart. Not only had she disobeyed him but someone had died because of it, someone dear to her master. Extreme sorrow and guilt quickly replaced the happiness she felt at seeing him.

She heard a door open to her left. She turned and watched with dismay as Fisher strolled in, a self satisfied look on his face. He walked over as Dyson pulled her stone out of his pocket. Handing it to Fisher, he smirked. "She's all yours. Teach her what happens to slaves that disobey."

Selah looked at Dyson, silently pleading with him, but the look on his face told her it was hopeless. She would find no mercy there. "Gladly." Fisher answered with a sadistic chuckle.

…

Selah woke with a start. The lights were on and she could hear someone in the room with her. She tried to crane her neck around to see but she forgotten about her injured shoulder which had become stiff and sore as she slept. Selah cried out in pain from the movement.

A familiar chuckle came from somewhere just beyond her view. "That looked like some dream you were having." Fisher's voice drifted to her. "Tell me about it."

Selah hated people laughing at her. Dealing with the emotions the dream caused and then realizing Fisher was in the room with her made Selah sick. She closed her eyes and turned her head away from the direction his voice was coming from. She wasn't about to tell him anything.

"We can do this the easy way or the hard way." He toyed with her. "Either you tell me what I want to know or I will take it from you. Your choice."

Selah shivered as she remembered what he did to her the day before. She wasn't sure if he actually saw the memories or just fed off the emotions they caused, but she wasn't looking forward to going through that again. She cringed at the idea of doing anything this monster wanted her to but she was still tired and weak from the night before. She decided to buy herself some time by talking with him.

Selah began by tell him about walking into the Dal. Describing it down to the smallest detail she could think of. Then she told him of Dyson and how happy seeing him again made her. She described his clothes and the drink in his hand. She was trying to make the story last as long as shecouldd but then she came to the part where Dyson told her of Hale's death. Selah didn't even want to remember that part let only tell the person who had tortured her the day before.

Fisher watched Selah's face as she remembered. Up until now, she had been very talkative and willing to share, but suddenly she became sullen and quiet.

"And?" he asked, prodding her for more details.

"And? And that's it. End of story." She lied. "After that I woke up to your ugly face. Didn't your mother ever teach you not to play with your food?" Frustrated by his question she pulled on her restrains, testing them.

He came over to look at her, trying to discern how truthful she had been with him. Selah turned away not wanting to look at him.

He huffed out a laugh. "If you're going to lie to me, you could at least try and make it believable." He tightened the manacles around her wrists, making them painfully tight.

"We're going to try something different this time." He informed her. The enjoyment in his voice was unmistakable. He reached over her head and grabbed something located somewhere behind her. When he pulled his hand back into her view, he was holding strap with a ball attached in the middle. He grabbed her jaw and squeezed. Selah struggled against his grip, but her jaw was sore from being dislocated the day before and pain radiated through her face forcing her mouth open. He shoved the small rubber ball into her mouth. Turning her head to one side, he buckled the strap tightly around her head. Try as she might, Selah couldn't make the gag move as she pushed it with her tongue. She glared at him.

Fisher checked to make sure she would not be able to dislodge the gag before turning his attention to the rest of her. He ran his fingers along her rib cage, pressing lightly. He stopped on the bottom rib and pressed harder, moving it out of place. The pain made her gasp and flinch away as he reminded her of her broken ribs. He grabbed her shoulder and moved it, making sure it was still dislocated. Selah cried out in pain and closed her eyes tightly. A single tear squeezed out at the corner of her eye and slowly rolled down her face.

"This is a dish that will taste better after it's simmered for a while." He remarked as he attached wires to the backs of her hands and the top of her feet. The wires lead to the black box sitting on the wooden desk. More wires lead from it to the television that had a picture on it that never changed. Selah turned her head as far as her injuries would let her to get a better view.

She was confused. " _How are these colorful pieces of… what were they, string? ... supposed to hurt me?"_

She watched as Fisher pushed a few buttons located below the screen. There was a knock on the door. "Doctor Fisher?" A woman's voice called.

"What?" Fisher snarled.

"Call on line two." The woman behind the door answered.

"Tell them to call back. I'm busy." He commanded turning his attention back to Selah.

"It's Mr. Fahir. He wants to talk to you. Now." She replied.

" _Fahir?_ " Selah thought. " _Why does that name sound familiar?_ " She could feel the memory at the back of her mind, but couldn't recall it.

Selah heard Fisher growl in a low voice. "Tell him I'll be right there."

Pushing a few more buttons, he muttered to himself, "Let's start with 240 volts, 10 amps, for 6 seconds every…" He looked at Selah, trying to judge just how much she could take. The confused look on her face was priceless. He concluded she had no idea what he was talking about. An evil grin spread across his face as he realized she didn't know what electricity was or what it could do. "What the hell. Let's set it to random intervals, starting in one minute." He said as he pushed more buttons. He walked toward the door, patting her shoulder as he walked past. "Don't go anywhere." He teasingly grinned at her. Fisher locked the door behind him.

Selah lay on the bed thoroughly confused. All he did was attach strings to her. She looked back at the screen. She could tell the picture had changed but couldn't get a good look at.

"If this is his idea of torture," She thought. "Sign me up!" She laughed as she remembered Kenzie using that same expression the day before.

She heard a quiet click and a hum start. Suddenly a scream was ripped from her throat. Her body felt as if it were lit on fire on the inside as electricity passed into her hands and out her feet. Her body jerked uncontrollably. Her muscles painfully contracted on their own. Her jaw involuntarily clamped down hard on the gag. Her mind couldn't comprehend anything but the intense agony that coursed through her. For six seconds pain was the only world she knew. She had never experienced pain like this. Now she understood what he meant by simmer.


	21. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Mercifully the machine was turned off. Selah was confused and disoriented. She couldn't remember where she was or even who she was. Her eyes didn't want to focus. She was sore and exhausted. Her body still tingled from the electricity that had coursed through her many times over the last two hours. A man's hand came into view. She watched, fascinated as it took a wire off her left hand. The hand disappeared only to reappear on the other side. She watched as it took the wire off her other hand. Her head was pushed to the side and the gag removed. Long strings of drool dripped from it. The hands were gentle as they took a cloth and wiped the spit from around her mouth and off her chin. Her jaw was extremely sore from biting down on the gag for so long.

A man's form walked to the foot of the bed and removed the wire on one of her feet. She forced her eyes to focus. As he removed the wire she noticed a small scorch mark on her foot where it had been. He reached for the wire on her other foot as she forced her eyes to focus on his face. She recognized the grey hair and lean face. She shook her head trying to clear it as memories came back to her. Reality and dreams collided and merged. She remembered who he was and why she was here.

He took something sharp out of his pocket. Selah's legs jerked painfully as he poked her feet testing her reflexes. She looked around the room trying to find her master. But he wasn't there. As she was looking she noticed it was easier to move her neck than before. Sometime during those two hours of convulsing, her muscles managed to realign her shoulder and arm, popping it back into place. Fisher noticed too.

"Are you ready to tell me the truth about what happened with your master?" He asked.

Selah's heart sank as she remembered what he had done to her the day before and what he had planned for her now. She abjectly nodded. She was willing to do anything to delay what she knew would come next. Again she told him of the bar and of seeing Dyson. This time she continued the story. She told him of her master blaming her for his friend's death. She stopped and hesitated. She didn't want to tell him the rest.

He could tell she was holding back again so he grabbed the gag and held it in front of her face, silently threatening to shock her again.

"No!" She pleaded, turning away from it. "I'll tell you." She told him of Dyson giving her to him and telling him to punish her for disobeying. She closed her eyes as she finished. Tears of guilt and shame flowed down her cheeks.

By the way she told the story Fisher could tell that this dream had become reality for her. He could use that to his advantage. He walked around behind her. She heard him pull the stool closer as he sat on it. She whimpered as she realized what he was preparing to do but made no move to resist.

"You feel guilty about the death of your master's friend and rightfully so." He said putting on his best psychiatrist voice. He grabbed her injured shoulder and arm, moving them to test how loose they were. The pain made Selah groan in agony as pain radiated up her neck and into her head. Fisher debated whether or not to leave it but figured he could always have it dislocated again if he found his meal unsatisfactory.

He continued. "If you hadn't disobeyed and waited so long they would have been able to save him." He could smell the sorrow and anguish his words caused her. "You did disobey your master now, didn't you?" He spoke to her as a parent might to a small child who has done something wrong. His tone feigned sympathy as he gripped her shoulder tighter. He cautioned her, "Answer truthfully now."

Selah whimpered and nodded her head. The electrocution he had just put her through, combined with feeding off her the day before and the amount of blood he took had left Selah weak in body and mind. This was exactly how Fisher liked his victims. She was easy prey now.

" _I may not have to dislocate her shoulder again._ " He thought to himself. " _All I have to do is figure out which buttons to press and she will provide me with an all-you-can-eat buffet every time._ " He had broken her.

Grinning perversely, Fisher reached over opening the valve on the IV in one of her arms. Red started flowing through the tube and into the empty bag attached to it.

"I noticed you looking around the room. Why?" He asked. "Who were you looking for?"

Selah said nothing.

"You were looking for him, weren't you?" He asked rhetorically "Your owner. You know he's not here. He has much better things to do than deal with a slave that won't do as she's told." The scent coming off of her was stronger now. He could smell fear, guilt and abandonment. He was pressing all the right buttons. He opened the valve on the other IV. "That's why your master hasn't come for you."

Ever since she could remember she had always been able to feel a connection with her master no matter how far away but right now she could feel nothing. For once in her life she felt utterly alone. Her master had forsaken her and left her to suffer for her crimes. Her answer caught in her throat. Disgraced, Selah mutely agreed.

Fisher placed his hands against the sides of her head cradling it once again, preparing to feast.

Selah knew what he was about to do. She could feel herself getting weaker as her blood flowed out. It felt as though the last of her magic was flowing out with it. Realizing she didn't have enough magic left for her body to replace her blood and heal the wounds from being tortured she weakly struggled. She knew she wouldn't survive his feeding this time.

"Please!" She cried. "You're killing me." Feebly she pulled against the straps holding her down. "Take the collar off, just for a moment, just long enough for me to heal a little." She implored. "My master doesn't want me dead!"

Fisher realized Selah's magic was starting to mend her mind and spirit, giving her the will to fight him again. She was stalling for time. He had seen this behavior in his patients before. They would do anything to delay or avoid something they saw as unpleasant if they thought they could find a way to avoid it altogether. And this was going to be unpleasant, he would make sure of that.

"Are you sure about that?" He laughed at her. "You won't do as you're told and you're the reason his friend is dead. Why would he want you? Besides, I know you can't die even with the collar on."

"That's wrong. Whoever told you that is wrong." She cried feebly.

He grabbed her head roughly, forcing it up, making her look at him. His cold, uncaring eyes drilled into hers as he yelled. "My information comes from Bedri Zahir, great grandson of Basri Zahir, one of your creators."

Now she remembered that name. He had been her very first master, the one who trained her. He was the one that finally figured out the secret to creating Foundlings and how to bind them to the stones. She had hoped when he died, the secret had died with him. Evidently it hadn't. Now she understood why he wanted her blood. Why he was draining her dry.

"Besides," He laughed. "Even if you die, he's promised me another one. He promised your master a new Foundling too." He lied. "That's why he left you with me." He could smell her building panic. "He knew what I would do to you."

Fisher was enjoying this. He had never had a victim that was capable of so many delicious emotions and in such abundance. He was greedy and wanted to see just how far he could push her. He wanted to see how much he could take before she broke. It didn't matter if he broke her mind or body. After all, her magic would always put her back together, given enough time. All he would have to do is wait before he could start all over again.

Selah closed her eyes, trying to ignore his voice, trying not to believe him. But her mind kept replaying her master giving her stone, the symbol of ownership, to Fisher. Hopelessly she realized he was right. Her master was never coming and she deserved the fate he had given her.


	22. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

Early the next morning Hale logged into the police criminal database using Lauren's computer. Lauren watched him as he scrolled through a couple pages on the website looking for the guys that kidnapped him.

"Found anything yet?" Lauren asked him.

Hale shook his head as he looked up at her. "It's not easy looking for Fae in a human data base. They have to change the descriptions to make them appear human while tipping us off that they're not."

"Well, keep trying." She said patting his shoulder. "Bo and Dyson are on their way. They said the hospital was empty last night. We need to find those men and find out where they took Selah." Lauren walked back to her microscope.

Hale nodded and turned back to the computer. After pushing a few buttons on the keyboard and changing the programs search parameters, the computer beeped indicating it found something.

Hale looked at the screen as a slow smile spread across his face. "Gotcha!" He said with satisfaction.

"Did you find something?" Lauren asked with great interest.

"Yep." Hale said grinning at her. "He pushed a button on the computer to print out the page. "Say hello to Myron Lectner." He smirked holding up the print out for her to see.

Bo and Dyson hurried in. "Ah! Perfect timing!" Lauren told them.

"Why?" Dyson asked. "What did you find?"

Hale stood up and grabbed his jacket. "I'll tell you, but this time I'm coming." He insisted. Hale noticed Bo looking at Lauren to see if she was going to try and stop him. "Don't look at her." He told Bo. Turning to Lauren he continued. "Look I appreciate what you did for me last night but I'm fine. I'm going." He insisted.

Lauren held her hands up in surrender. "Fine, fine." She told him. "As long as you take a dose of antivenin." She said handing him a syringe.

A broad grin spread across Dyson's face. Hale's insistence on going told him his friend was going to be just fine and he hoped having another set of trained eyes would make the search for Selah easier. Bo smiled as she suggested, "We'd better get going then."

They hurried out the door and to the car.

"So what did you find?" Dyson asked Hale.

Hale held up the paper and showed it to Dyson. "Last known place of employment." He said pointing to the address listed.

"You think he still works there?" Bo asked.

"One way to find out." Dyson told her as they got into the car.

As Bo drove, Dyson stared out the passenger window. He thought back on the conversation they had about Selah the day before and the events since Selah's arrival. He recalled their first meeting when he attacked her in the Dal. He hadn't even given her a chance to speak before he attacked. He remembered dragging her out of the bar later that day because he thought she'd done something to Trick. She tried to explain, but he didn't listen. Then he accused her of refusing to track Hale. Again she tried to explain but he refused to believe her. Dyson rubbed his eyes as he remembered summoning her in the old hospital. She tried to tell him something but he wouldn't listen. What he commanded her to do was more important or so he thought at the time. He'd been so focused on getting Hale and making her doing as she was told he never stop to think that maybe she was more than just a tool. He realized that she was more than just an assassin. She was a person too. Dyson sighed and couldn't help but think whatever was happening to Selah was his fault. He silently vowed, if they got her back, to never to treat her like just another object again.

They pulled up to the address Hale had printed out. The building was empty. A for rent sign hung in the window. Dyson's heart sank. It was a dead end.

"Now what?" Bo asked.

"Let's go to the station." Hale offered. "Maybe we can find something on the other guy."

They pulled away from the building. Traffic was heavy and the going was slow. A multitude of people were walking on the sidewalk, going in and out of the nearby buildings. After a few miles, Dyson's sharp eyes spotted something. "Pull over." He yelled. Puzzled, Bo did.

Dyson jumped out of the car as it came to a stop and ran. Hale and Bo were close behind. A couple feet ahead they saw a familiar snake skinned man. Reaching the guy, Dyson grabbed him by the throat and threw him up against the nearest wall. It was Myron.

"Where is she?" He snarled.

Myron dropped a bag as Dyson threw him, its contents spilling onto the sidewalk. Hale picked it up. Inside he found a couple passports, sunscreen, and two plane tickets.

"Planning a little vacation?" He grinned at Myron.

"Listen!" Myron whined. "It was just a job." He looked past Dyson and at Hale. "We weren't after you. Not really. He wanted it. If you hadn't struggled, you wouldn't have gotten hurt at all."

"Where is she?" Dyson growled at the man, getting his attention.

"He has it. Honestly, I don't know what he wants with it." He whined.

"HER!" Dyson demanded as he slammed him against the wall again.

"Fine! Her!" Myron shakily replied.

"Where is she?" Dyson demanded again.

"If I tell you, they'll kill me." He insisted.

"If you don't, I'LL kill you." Dyson responded menacingly.

Hale stood next to Myron. "He'll do it too." He said seriously.

Myron looked at Hale, imploring him to do something.

"Hey! Don't look at me. You think after what you guys did to me, I'm gonna help you?" Hale laughed. "Besides, you're the one that pissed off the shifter." Hale said referring to Dyson's ability to transform into a wolf. "Have you ever tried standing between a wolf and his prey? Bad idea." Hale finished. Shaking his head, he stepped back behind Dyson.

Dyson gave Myron a vicious, hungry smile. He had played bad cop to Hales good cop before. It always worked.

Dyson could feel Myron start to tremble. Suddenly he heard water trickling. He looked down as the front of Myron's pants became soaked from the inside out.

"She's at Sylvia Plath Medical Center." He told them. "She's Dr. Fisher's special project."

"That's a Fae psych hospital." Hale informed them. Dyson had heard of it. There were some pretty nasty rumors circulating about the place.

"Who's Dr. Fisher?" Dyson demanded. "What does he want with her?"

"What does an Aegis want with anyone?" Myron shrugged nervously.

Dyson grabbed the bag from Hale and shoved it into Myron's stomach. "You're gonna need these." He snarled. "If I were you I'd make it a permanent vacation." He said releasing his grip on Myron's throat. Myron stumbled a few times before finding his feet as he attempted to run away.

"What's an Aegis?" Bo asked as they got back in the car.

"They feed off pain and suffering." Hale explained.

"And Selah has been through a lot of that. We need to find her." Dyson urged them.


	23. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

The Sylvia Plath Medical Center was a group of sprawling buildings on twenty acres of land. As they drove up the driveway, Bo asked, "How are we gonna find her here?"

"Leave that to me." Hale said as they pulled up to the main building. Hale strode into the office. Leaning on the receptionist's desk, he gave the lady behind it a winning smile. She hadn't seen them come in and having Hale suddenly in front of her startled her. A member of the Zamora clan showing up unannounced was never a pleasant surprise. She smiled nervously and stood to shake his hand, asking, "Mr. Santiago, what brings you here?"

Bo looked at Hale in surprise. She had never heard anyone refer to Hale as "Mr." before.

Hale looked at the receptionist's name tag before explaining, "Well Sheila, my family is thinking my great aunt Velma may be needing to take an extended vacation soon, if you take my meaning."

"Oh yes, of course. We always love it when your Aunt comes to visit… I mean we love having her here… not that we want there to be a reason for her to be here." She rambled. The poor woman realized that she was making a fool of herself and decided to get straight to the point. "When should we be expecting her?"

"Well," Hale explained. "We aren't entirely sure yet. We heard that you have done some recent renovations in building five? That's Dr. Fisher's wing, right?" He asked, looking at a map of the grounds that hung on the wall behind her. Each building had one doctor that oversaw the running of it and was in charge of all the other doctors assigned to the building. Dr. Fishers' name was engraved on the plaque below building number five. The receptionist nodded.

"Dr. Fisher was so good with my great aunt last time the family would like to request that he treat her again." He continued.

"Of course Mr. Santiago. I'm sure Dr. Fisher would be more than happy to treat a member of clan Zamora." She gushed.

"There is just one small problem." Hale told her. The receptionist became concerned as she realized that the hospital my loose a rich and powerful client if she could not fix whatever the problem was.

Flustered, she asked, "What's that Sir? I'm sure whatever it is we can fix it."

Normally, Hale hated mentioning his family to anyone. He didn't like the way they used and abused their wealth and power. He would rather make his own way in the world, through his own talents and hard work, than be known for his family. But he knew that if he mentioned his great aunt's name the hospital staff would bend over backwards to accommodate him and it would make finding Selah easier. After all, his family had donated the money for the construction of the new building last year and they were in a hurry. Hearing that Selah was Dr. Fisher's "special project" had made them all anxious to find her.

"My aunt had a problem with the décor, and my father sent me here to make sure that it had indeed been upgraded and made suitable for someone of her social standing." He told her putting on his best aristocratic tone.

The receptionist came running around her desk. "Of course Mr. Santiago we updated everything in building five a couple months ago. I would be pleased to show you around." She enthused, ushering them to the door.

Hale held up a hand. "That's not necessary. You looked busy when we came in." He protested. "I'm sure we can find our way around. I was just wondering if we could have a couple guest passes?" He asked, pointing to the passes on her desk. "We don't want anyone thinking we're escaped patients, now do we?" He laughed.

The receptionist forced a laugh to try to hide her disappointment. If her bosses heard that she had successfully pleased a member of clan Zamora it would surely have led to a promotion. She hesitated. "We usually only give visitor passes to family members visiting our current patients." She explained.

"If your objection is out of concern for the privacy of your other patients, I promise we'll only look in unoccupied rooms." He smiled reassuringly. When she still hesitated, he frowned. "Unless you don't think all the rooms are up to my aunts expectations. My father expressly said that ALL rooms were to be up to her expectations so she could choose whichever one she wanted." Hale told her.

The receptionist forced a tense smile. If she denied his request and her bosses found out she had cost them such a prestigious client, all because she wouldn't let him look around, she would be lucky to keep her life let along her job. "Of course." She gestured for Bo to take some of the passes. Bo reached across the desk and grabbed a couple. She handed passes to Hale and Dyson before clipping the last one to her shirt.

"Please remember to return them to the front desk of building five when you leave." She instructed them as she returned to her desk.

"Of course. I'll also be sure to mention to the board what a tremendous help you were." He winked at her. This made the receptionist smile gratefully.

As they walked out of the office, Bo turned to Hale, "What the hell was that?" Dyson chuckled as he clapped Hale on the back.

Grinning, he teased Hale as they got in the car, "Didn't you know? My man's got connections."

Bo drove them around to park near building five. Walking up to the building, Bo opened the door for Hale and teasingly said, "After you." Giving him a slight bow and making a grand gesture with her arm indicating he should enter first.

Hale looked at her as he walked in. "You're not gonna let this go are you?"

"Oh no!" She laughed.

The lobby of the building was tastefully decorated in warm brown and tan colors. A couple small round tables were set off to one side of the spacious room surrounded by four chairs each. A couch sat at the opposite end facing a small television that was turned down low. A desk and filing cabinet sat opposite the door leading outside and at the entrance of two hallways going in opposite directions. Two men sat on the couch staring at the television, while a tall strong looking man sat at one of the tables staring intently at the receptionist's desk. None of them moved as the trio entered. Bo turned to Dyson, "Where do you want to start?"

"Maybe one of the patients saw something." Hale offered motioning to the men in the room.

Hale went to talk to the two on the couch while Bo and Dyson concentrated on the man staring at the desk.

Dyson walked and stood in front of him. Hoping that mentioning he was a police officer would make getting information easier, Dyson smiled warmly down at the man. "Hi." I'm Detective Dyson. I'd like to ask you a few questions." The man ignored him and leaned to one side so he could look past Dyson and continue staring at the desk.

Bo decided to take a different approach. She crouched down next to him trying to see what he was looking at. Dyson walked around to crouch on the other side.

Trying to get his attention, Bo stroked his hand. Using her succubus magic, she tried to get the man to feel a desire to look at her and interact with her, but he continued to stare at the desk. She placed a hand on his cheek and ramped up her magical influence. She tried to physically turn his head but he wouldn't budge. She looked at Dyson with confusion. No one had ever been able to resist like this her before. She tried a different tactic and feigned interest in what he was doing. She asked, "Whatcha looking at?"

"She said to sit here and watch her desk while she was gone." The man tonelessly answered.

"Who?" Dyson asked him.

"Karen." The man flatly replied as he continued staring at the desk.

"We're looking for a friend of ours. Perhaps you've seen her." Dyson continued. "She's about this tall," Dyson held his hand up to indicate Selah's height. "Long dark red hair."

The man shook his head, his eyes never leaving the desk.

"She might have had glowing red eyes." Bo chuckled as she added. She was trying to get some kind of reaction from the man but he only continued to stare at the desk as he shook his head.

Dyson and Bo stood up and walked to the receptionist's desk where they regrouped with Hale.

"Any luck?" Bo asked him.

Hale shook his head. "Naw. It's like the lights are on, but nobody's home." He looked at them confused.

"Our guy was told to watch this desk, and he won't take his eyes off of it for anything." Bo commented. "They're like robots."

Dyson's thoughts preoccupied him as he nodded. "That's reaction I expected from Selah." He said to himself. He looked at Hale and Bo. Firmly he insisted, "We need to find her, now!"

"Maybe we can find something here." She offered as she leaned over and began searching the files strewn on the desk.

"Keep an eye out." Dyson told Hale, gesturing to the hallway to the left as he took the one on the right.

At the bottom of a large stack of files Bo found a folder marked A. Foundling. In it was a receipt for delivery of three pints of blood. Dyson came over.

"What'd you find?" He asked.

"I think it's a file for Selah." She told him.

"How do you know?" Dyson asked her as he came to look.

She held up the file to show him. "Because it says A. Foundling." Bo laughed. "Really! This guy has no imagination!"

"It's a receipt from Mr. B. Zahir for delivery of blood." She commented as she picked it up. "He's the one you were telling me about, the one selling Illegal weapons. Is he a vampire?" She asked him.

"No." Dyson's brow furrowed with confusion and concern. "He's a Changeling. What would he want with Selah's blood?"

Hale walked up to them. "He also had the collar." He reminded them.

The sound of a door closing and footsteps told them someone was coming. Bo pocketed the receipt and shoved the file back under the stack as they made for the door. Dyson reached it first and opened it. A tall young woman with long brown hair and almond shaped eyes walked into the room, her nose buried in the file she was carrying. Her skin seemed to shimmer and change from light pink to violet to tan and back again as she walked. Dyson watched the man sitting at the table as he finally let his eyes wander away from the desk. This must be Karen he thought.

Karen turned as she heard the door open. Emerald green eyes looked at them suspiciously as she asked "Can I help you?" They all pretended to have just entered.

Hale took the lead and assumed aristocratic airs as he explained, "We are here to look around and make sure the renovations are up to my families expectations." Hale introduced himself and recounted the story about his Great Aunt needing a return visit. This surprised the woman.

"This is the first time I've heard of any of Doctor Fisher's patients needing a return visit." She said suspiciously.

"Perhaps it was one of the other doctors in the building who performed the actual treatment then." Hale suggested explaining away the need more treatment. "If that's the case, then my father requests Dr. Fisher do the actual treatment himself this time."

The receptionist nodded agreeably. "Dr. Fisher has had an unbelievable success rate and treats most of the patients brought here that are deemed a great danger to themselves or others. Once they leave here, they never come back. Take Mr. Fredrick for example." She said indicating the man that had been tasked with staring at the desk. Currently he was sitting motionless in his chair, squinting to watch the television across the room.

"When he came to us, he had just beaten a waiter for forgetting to bring cream with his coffee. The poor guy was in a hospital, in intensive care, for a week. Mr. Fredrick was brought in kicking and screaming, trying to bite anyone who got too close." She shook her head and clicked her tongue in disapproval. Smiling she sweetly added, "Dr. Fisher treated him and now look at him, docile as a house cat. He's expected to return home in a few days."

Hale remarked, "How can he see the TV from there? Wouldn't he see it better if he sat on the couch?"

"You're right." She agreed. Leaning past the group, Karen clapped her hands as she called, "Mr. Fredrick?"

The man turned to look passively at her. In a tone fit for using with a three year old, she said. "Why don't you go sit on the couch and watch from there."

Mr. Fredrick nodded. "As you say." He replied. His response reminded Dyson too much of Selah's "As you command" response when he told her to do something. He watched Mr. Fredrick with great interest as he stood and, with no emotion or thought of his own, walked purposefully to the couch and sat next to the other two men. The man acted as Dyson thought all Foundlings were supposed to act. This is how he expected Selah to act even though he had never told her but she had proven she was more than a mindless robot. He realized he had become angry with her when she hadn't lived up to his expectations. The realization unnerved him.

Dyson turned his attention back to the conversation in time to hear Hale say something about looking around.

"If the staff at the main building gave you permission to look around, then I guess I can't say no." Karen replied. "But the patient rooms are on the ground floor and above. You are not to go down into the basement. That is where our highly disturbed patients are housed and Dr. Fisher administers his treatments until they are deemed recovered enough to be trusted on the upper floors. It could be very dangerous to their well being if you were to inadvertently interrupt one of Dr. Fisher's sessions and dangerous to you if they were to get a hold of you during one of their episodes." She cautioned.

"Judging by the success we see here, we definitely wouldn't want to do that." Bo sarcastically said as she gestured to the men sitting like statues on the couch.

"The elevator is just down that hallway," Karen said as she pointed the way. "I have to put these away in our filing room. If I'm not here when you get back, please leave your passes on my desk. Thank you." She added as she picked up the stack of files on her desk.

Dyson led the way down the hall. As they entered the elevator, Bo turned to him, "Where to?" She asked.

"The one place we were told not to go." He grinned at her.

"Down it is." Hale added as he pressed the button marked "B".

The elevator doors opened at the end of a brightly lit corridor. It was lined with doors that had tiny windows set about eye level in them. A sliding piece of metal covered most of the windows. Anguished moans filled the air, occasionally punctuated by a piercing scream. A small wooden desk with a television on top and an office chair sat next to the elevator. At the moment the chair was empty and the television was off.

They crept silently down the hallway. As they went they slid open the metal covering the windows to look inside. Hale opened the cover on one door, only to slam it shut. Bo looked at him quizzically.

His eyes were big with surprise. "Not that one." He responded. "Don't ask." He told them as they moved on.

The bathrooms were located near a bend in the hallway. They heard a toilet flush in the men's bathroom just as Dyson past it. The door opened and the floor security guard walked out tucking his shirt into his pants. Surprised, Dyson snarled as he grabbed the guy by the shoulders and threw him against the opposite wall knocking him out.

Hearing the scuffle outside their rooms some of the patients began yelling and pounding on their doors. Bo jumped at the sudden increase in volume around her. She looked behind her at the doors they had past to make sure none of them were opening as they hurried around the corner.

Five small rooms lined the end of the hallway. The rooms all had a red light just above it. The light above the door at the very end was lit, indicating it was in use.


	24. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

For the last twenty minutes Selah had made no sound. Fisher could feel her body tremble under his touch. He had taken her though several memories already but there was one she fought harder to keep from him than the rest. Finally he had it. He saw a forest. Selah was hiding in the trees, surveying the scene below. Dead men lay on the ground. One was still breathing, but just barely. Fisher could tell she had had a hand in the carnage. She heard a horse approaching. It stopped as a man dismounted. He came closer, running through the trees yelling, "Stefan!"

She watched as he found his friend hurt and dying. He cradled him in his arms, telling him he would talk to the king himself. But Selah knew Stefan only had minutes left to live. She'd made sure of that. She watched as he took his last breath. The man holding his friend cried out, "No!" She heard his snarl of pain and frustration at his friend's senseless death. Fisher could tell at the time these events took place Selah had felt nothing. But now her mind told him this man kneeling on the ground below her was her current master. The memory pained her most of all because of what it did to him. Because Selah had been forced to live the pain her kind inflicted on other, he could taste the man's pain as well as. This was a memory he intended to visit often.

"No." Fisher heard. At first he thought he had imagined it. Then he heard it again.

"No." Selah whispered. "You took too much." Selah could feel her heart slowing, beating irregularly. She was sure there wasn't enough blood left to sustain her and she could feel the small burning flame of magic she had left quickly being snuffed out at the same time.

She murmured, "Made me too human." Smiling, she taunted him. "You lose." He looked at her quizzically. Her breaths were coming in short, irregular gasps.

He could feel the activity in her brain lessen. Taking her last breath, she closed her eyes and her heart stopped. With it, her memories were gone too. Fisher's tentacles searched frantically for any activity, any memories at all. His magic still pulsed through them, but there was nothing left to feed on.

"What?" He was confused. He had been promised an unending meal, one that couldn't die. "No!" He screamed. Staring down at her, he retracted his tentacles as he stood.

Fisher's head jerked up as the door burst open. Dyson stood in the doorway for a moment, taking in the room. He saw the Aegis standing over Selah. She was white as a marble statue. Her eyes closed as if she were sleeping. She made no movement.

Fisher recognized Dyson from Selah's memory. Seeing the shock and pain on his face, Fisher backed toward the wooden desk as he nervously stammered, "You're not supposed to be here." Fearing for his life, he reached under the desk pressing the panic button located just under the edge. An alarm silently sounded in a nearby room.

Having run ahead of the rest, Dyson didn't see the giant man emerge from the door to the side of him.

"Dyson!" Bo called trying to warn him as she and Hale ran forward.

Seeing Dyson in the doorway, the giant grabbed him in a headlock. Dyson reached back, trying to grab at him, but the guy was too big. Bo spotted a fire extinguisher on the wall and grabbed it as she ran by. Coming up behind the man, she swung the extinguisher at his head. The sound of metal hitting bone echoed through the hallway as the guy slumped to the floor.

Dyson looked back at Selah motionless on the bed. The sight of her enraged him. She had trusted him, tried to tell him that she had found the collar but he wouldn't listen. She knew what it would do to her, the danger it posed for her, and she still put what he wanted first. She put the life and safety of everyone else first. The realization made him blind to everything but the thing standing over her.

As Dyson crossed the room, his eyes turned to black and yellow. Two of his teeth elongated and became canine fangs. A loud feral snarl of pain and rage emanated from his mouth as he balled up a fist and punched Fisher in the face. Grabbing him by his shirt Dyson threw him across the room. Fisher hit the opposite wall and crumpled in an unconscious heap.

Dyson took two steps toward Fisher intent on making him pay for what he had done to Selah. Bo stood in front of him blocking his path. Looking at Dyson, she could tell he was intent on killing him.

"Dyson!" She insisted. "We need him alive. We have to find out where Fahir is and what he wants with Selah's blood."

Dyson scowled. He was torn. He knew Bo was right, but he couldn't let Fisher get away with what he had done to Selah. He settled for one last growl at him before turning his attention to Selah. Hale entered the room as Dyson changed back to his human form. Fearing the worst, Dyson quickly undid the binding around Selah's waist and upper arms as Bo worked on her feet.

Seeing Selah so lifeless, and the pain on Dyson's face as he stood over her, infuriated Hale. He saw Fisher against the far wall stir and sit up. Hale marched over, pulled Fisher up by his shirt and punched him in the mouth. Blood trickled from Fisher's split lip adding to the blood dripping from his mangled nose. Roughly, Hale turned Fisher around and shoved him up against the wall. Taking a pair of hand cuffs from his belt, he pulled Fishers arms back and painfully up as he put the cuffs on him.

Hoping he wasn't too late, Dyson quickly unbuckled the straps on Selah's wrists. Sitting half way on the bed, he slid an arm under her shoulders and pulled her limp body into a sitting position, leaning her against his chest. Using his other hand, he moved her hair to one side so he could get at the lock on the collar. Reaching around, he grabbed it and twisted. Breaking it, he let the pieces fall. He leaned Selah back slightly so he could see the cold metal encircling her throat. Lightly he touched it, amazed that something so simple had made her completely helpless. With a snarl of rage he ripped it from around her throat and threw it across the room. Placing his fingers against the side of her neck, he felt for a pulse. There was none.

Bo's heart sank as she watched Dyson's once hopeful face crumble. "Is she?" Bo hesitantly asked.

Dyson shook his head confirming their worst fears. He winced at the stab of guilt. It was too late. Selah's face was drained of all blood. This close he realized how young she looked. Young and more vulnerable than he thought at first. Dyson's fierce face strained with emotion. He knew he was responsible. He sent her in after Hale without thinking. He didn't think about her, she had been just a tool, not a person and now… A strand of hair fell across Selah's face. Sadly, Dyson leaned closer and tenderly brushed it to the side. Cupping the back of her head he pulled her closer. Defeated, he rested his forehead against hers.

"I'm sorry." He told her. "I should have listened."

Hale turned back to Fisher. Balling up a fist, he punched the wall right next to Fisher's face, spraying it with plaster and paint chips. Fisher cowered under Hale's murderous glare.

Dyson moved to lay Selah back on the bed. Suddenly her hand shot up grabbing Dyson by the back of his head, forcing his face close to hers. Her lips pressed hungrily against his.

The sudden movement surprised him, making him flinch and pull away. Her arm pulled at him but her grip was weakening. Quickly he realized what she was trying to do. He knew it was a reflex, her dying body's last attempt at life that forced her to pull at him. Dyson leaned in, pressing his lips against hers, letting her take as much energy from him as she needed.

Shocked, Bo and Hale watched as their lips parted slightly, a bright blue stream of energy passing from Dyson's parted lips into Selah's waiting mouth. Bo knew what was happening all too well. She had done this and more with him when she needed to heal.

Selah felt the energy course through her causing her body to repair life threatening injuries as it replaced lost blood cells at an unbelievable rate. The synapses in her brain started firing again as the energy she pulled from Dyson jump started her brain.

Pink flooded her once white skin as Selah drew in a deep gasping breath. Her eyes opened. They glowed a bright red. The realization of what she was doing made Selah push Dyson away stopping the flow of energy. It left them both weak and dazed. Dyson leaned on the bed to support himself as he tried to stand. Selah almost took more than he could give, but she hadn't hurt him.

Selah ripped the IV tubes from her arms making tiny streams of red flow down them as she shakily crawled off the bed. She caught herself as her legs collapsed beneath her. The energy she received from Dyson was enough to reignite the magic in her and to heal her life threatening injuries, but she was still hurt and weak. Because her magic had been depleted to such a dangerously low level, it would take her a lot longer to heal. She took a couple faltering steps toward Hale, the glow in her eyes never fading.

"You are going to pay!" Her weak voice growled. Her face contorted into a mask of pain and rage as she held her left hand out from her side. A faint mist grew around it but the mist kept fading in and out. Sometimes it almost took the shape of a sword but then it would fade out again. Selah fell to one knee, but she never took her eyes off Hale.

Hale put an arm out in front of himself to warn her away. "Hey. Remember me?" He nervously asked as Selah gathered her feet under her. "Dyson's friend? You got me out of that creepy old hospital?" He reminded her.

"Get out of my way or I'll go through you." She commanded. With single minded determination, she looked past him and continued. "Him. I'm going to kill him!" She said pointing to Fisher with the sword that had almost formed in her hand. "He's going to pay for what he did to me." She insisted as she crept closer.

"Selah. We need him alive." Bo tried to reason with her. "We need to know where Fahir is." Her words fell on deaf ears. "Dyson!" Bo pleaded.

Dyson shook his head as he stood. "Selah no! Stop!" He ordered. "You can't kill him." He insisted.

The sword that had just solidified in Selah's hand vanished in an instant. She turned her glowing red eyes on him. He could see the hate and rage that burned in them.

"Why are you protecting him?" She demanded. "After what he did to me, you protect him?" She screamed at him, her voice gaining more strength.

"We need information. He took your blood and gave it to Fahir. We need to know why and where to find him." He explained.

Selah took a couple steps toward Dyson. Her expression of hate and rage never wavered. For a moment, Dyson thought she was going to attack him. Then suddenly the glow in her eyes faded. It appeared as if all the adrenaline Selah had been running on was gone. Her eyes closed as she slumped to the floor. Dyson hurried to her side.

"Is she?" Concerned, Bo asked.

"No. She's breathing. We need to get her to Lauren." Dyson explained as he scooped Selah into his arms. "Hale?" Dyson asked as he carried Selah to the door.

"Don't worry." Hale reassured him as he slammed Fisher against the wall again. "I've got this."

Bo and Dyson hurried to the car as Hale called the police station for back up.


	25. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

Selah lay on the bed not moving. She was awake but didn't want to let whoever was in the room with her know it. She heard the familiar beeping of the machines that had been hooked up to her. The last thing Selah remembered was that monster feeding off her. She had resigned herself to the fact that she was nothing more than food now. It was the fate her master had given her and she deserved nothing better. Not after causing the death of his friend. Whatever feelings she had about the matter she buried deep, hoping to hide them from the monster, but she knew that sooner or later he would find them. For now she could at least pretend they didn't exist.

She heard movement behind her. Someone drew closer and then moved away. She sensed it wasn't Fisher. Her heart sank and she groaned inwardly. Fisher must have brought that big brute back to dislocate her shoulder again or something equally painful. At least they were letting her sleep. She took a little comfort in that.

Dr. Lauren walked over to the head of the bed and looked at Selah. Her breathing had changed. Lauren could tell she was pretending to be asleep. This puzzled her and she decided to enter it into Selah's medical file. As Lauren turned around to grab it off a nearby table she accidently knocked it onto the floor, scattering the papers.

"Crap!" She exclaimed as she bent down to retrieve them.

Selah heard the file hit the floor and Lauren speak. Realizing this was a new voice she tried to move her arms and discovered she was no longer restrained. Quickly, but silently, she rolled off the bed and crouched on the other side as Lauren stood up. Lauren turned around ready to make an entry in the file but Selah was gone.

Surprised, Lauren started to look around the room for her. She watched as Selah slowly stood up on the other side of the bed. Her eyes glowed and mist swirled around her hand as she tried to form a sword.

Fearing for her life, Lauren took a step back and called out, "Dyson!"

The door was wrenched open as Dyson flew into the room. Seeing Selah about to attack Lauren, he commanded, "Selah! Stop!"

Selah looked at him and blinked. The glow in her eyes and the mist vanished in an instant. She looked at him in surprise. As she recognized him, she quickly dropped to one knee. "Master!" she addressed him. "Forgive me. I didn't know this one was with you." She explained, referring to Lauren.

Dyson took a step toward her. This made Selah jump to her feet and involuntarily take a step back. Selah's reaction confused Dyson. This was not the same person that had willingly taken on ten men by herself. The woman before him reminded him of a frightened animal, always in constant fight or flight mode, always on edge.

Selah stopped herself. Every fiber of her being was telling her to run but there was nowhere to go. No escape. She dug deep in her mind and tried to remember her training. This was not how she had been trained to react. She had been trained to hold her ground no matter the consequence. She closed her eyes and swallowed hard before making herself go back to her original spot. She stood at attention as she opened her eyes and kept them firmly trained on a spot on the floor just in front of Dyson's feet.

Dyson noticed the change in her. She was trying to play the good soldier willing to do anything commanded of her, attempting to be the cold, soulless assassin again. She was trying to hide her emotions or hide from them, he wasn't sure which yet, but she was failing miserably. He didn't know why she had reverted back to this, but if she needed him to play commander to her soldier, he was willing to play along even if he didn't like it.

Taking a tone of authority, he demanded, "Why were you going to attack Lauren?"

"I'm sorry Master. I didn't…" She began.

"I didn't ask for an apology." He reprimanded her. "I want an explanation!"

She rigidly stood straighter. "She's not the doctor you assigned to discipline me." She glanced at his face. Realizing he didn't understand, she looked back at the floor and tried again. "I didn't realize she was with you and had your permission. If you wish, I will apologize to her for my behavior."

Her response confused him. "What? I didn't assign a doc…" He started to say and then he remembered Dr. Fisher. Dyson decided to switch tactics. "What do you mean discipline you?" He asked.

"You told Dr. Fisher to teach me what happens to disobedient slaves." She said trying to show no emotion at all as she recounted what she thought happened at the Dal. She looked away from the spot on the floor as she added in a low voice. "And I have learned."

Now he understood. Somehow Fisher had convinced her that he wanted her tortured. Fisher had convinced her that he felt she deserved it. Dyson shook his head as he tried to explain. "Selah! I never told Fisher to do anything to you. I never even met him until we found you in that room."

Fury welled up inside Selah as she looked directly at him. There was that familiar red glow. "I was there when you gave me to him. I heard every word." Her voice dripped with venom. Gone was the woman trying to be the good soldier. Here was the lethal killing machine. "You blamed me for Hale's death. You wanted me to pay."

This surprised him. How had Fisher managed to convince her Hale was dead? Dyson put a hand out in front of him, trying to calm Selah down. "Selah! Hale's not dead!" He told her.

She could hear the sincerity in his words. In all her long life Selah had never met anyone she felt she could trust, until Dyson. She was confused. How could she believe him? He was the one who told her Hale was dead. If that was a lie then he had her tortured for nothing. Her suffering was meaningless. But if it were true, then he was lying to her now and she still couldn't trust him. Then she remembered, she didn't have to trust him. She only had to obey. She hated him for that.

"Dead or alive, whichever master wishes." She said with animosity. "Give me a command, I will obey." Selah lowered her eyes again and blinked. The glow was gone. Dyson could see she was back to playing the good soldier.

Dyson didn't understand what happened to Selah or why she believed he wanted her to suffer. He looked to Lauren for some kind of explanation. "What do you think?" He asked.

"Well," she thoughtfully replied. "If he used the machine in the room where you found her, the one you described to me, it could explain her confusion about what really happened." Lauren turned her attention to Selah. "Did Dr. Fisher use the machine with the wires on you?" She asked.

Selah wasn't sure which machine Lauren meant. "He used them all on me." Selah flatly stated.

"That would explain the confusion and the mark on her foot." Lauren said pointing out the mark to Dyson. He hadn't noticed the scorch on her foot before. She tried to put Selah at ease by smiling as she asked her, "May I examine you?"

Selah glanced at Dyson, silently asking if this is what he wanted. Dyson nodded and motioned for Lauren to do the examination. Almost imperceptibly Selah's shoulders sagged. Memories of Fisher's examination rushed through her head.

Lauren pulled a pen light out of her pocket and shone it in Selah's eyes, testing them to make sure they were working properly. She put the pen back in her pocket. As she was reaching to check Selah's neck she asked, "Do you hurt anywhere?"

Selah didn't respond. There wasn't a spot on her that didn't hurt but she wasn't going to make it that easy for this doctor. Her master was standing there, watching. She feared Fisher had told the truth. Her master was helping Zahir make more Foundlings and he would be the one to train them. If this was true, she knew he would use her as an example, one way or the other. Her time with Fisher had taught her that doctors will find and use any injury, any weakness against her. She knew her master would not tolerate any sign of weakness.

Lauren's hands were soft and gentle as they moved down Selah's neck to her shoulders. Noticing the large ugly bruise on her shoulder, Lauren applied pressure to the shoulder joint and felt the muscles on Selah's right shoulder involuntarily tense.

Dyson had one arm crossed over his chest as he rested his chin in the other hand. Thoughtfully he watched Lauren examined Selah. He knew she would do her best not to show she was in pain so he watched her closely. He noticed a slight narrowing of Selah's eyes as Lauren applied pressure to her right shoulder. Other than that she gave no of any discomfort. He noticed the same thing as Lauren examined her ribs.

As she finished, Lauren turned to Dyson. "She has several large bruises, a couple broken ribs and it looks like her shoulder was dislocated at one time but its back in place." Lauren shook her head. "Not to mention the black eye, swollen lip and bruised cheek. It looks like she was beaten pretty badly. I would like her to wear a sling for a few days at least to give the muscles in her shoulder a chance to recover." Frustrated, Lauren turned back to Selah. "Are you in pain? Because I would like to give you something for it if you are."

Selah could see the frustration on Lauren's face at not being able to tell. She took satisfaction in that as she lied, "No."

"Yes." Dyson corrected her.

Selah trembled with anger and frustration. _She inwardly cursed as_ she furiously wracked her brain trying to figure out how she had given it away.

"Go ahead and write the prescription." Dyson told Lauren as her phone rang. Lauren excused herself and left the room to take the call.

Selah hung her head in defeat. She used to be so much better at this. She knew she had failed his little test, though she didn't know how. She tried to get a sense of what he was feeling. With her mind, she reached out to touch that part that had always given her some idea of her master's emotional state. Was he angry? Disappointed? If she could tell she would have a better idea of what to expect and could act accordingly. But try as she might, she felt nothing from him. Why couldn't she feel him?

Dyson turned his attention back to her.

"Why did you come back for me?" Selah asked him in a quiet voice. "You didn't want me. Why didn't you leave me with Fisher?"

Dyson was surprised by the question. It never occurred to him not to go back for her. Did she really believe she was worth so little? Even after what she did for Hale?

He took a step toward her. She didn't jump or take a step back this time. He hoped that was a good sign as he walked over to her.

Placing his hands lightly on her shoulders, he sighed deeply. "Selah. Look at me." He told her.

Selah raised her eyes to look at his chest. She was afraid to look up any further, afraid of what she would see.

Gently he cupped her chin in his hand and pushed her head up, making her look in his eyes.

"I don't know why you think Hale is dead or why you think I wanted Fisher to hurt you, but Hale is alive. What you did bought us the time we needed to get him to Lauren so she could heal him." He explained. "Do you remember when we were all in the lobby of the hospital?"

Selah timidly nodded her head.

"You decided to stay and fight, to give us time to get Hale out." He reminded her. "You didn't sacrifice yourself for nothing." He reassured her.

Selah wanted desperately to believe him, but she didn't know what to believe any more. He was telling her that what she remembered never happened. If she couldn't trust her own memories…

Before Selah could sort it all out in her head, Lauren came back in and closed the door in a hurry.

Flustered, she told them, "That was Hale. The Ash is on his way. He knows about Selah."

Dyson looked at her with surprise and concern. "What? How?" He asked.

Selah knew that her very existence was against Fae law. If the Ash knew about her… As Selah thought about it, something didn't feel right. She began to suspect Dyson was testing her again. Was he trying to see if she had learned to obey no matter what? Maybe he had decided she wasn't worth the effort and was going to give her to the Ash so he could destroy her. Every time she started to think she could trust him, something happened to destroy that trust. Either way, she had no control over it and trust didn't matter.

"He had to tell the Ash something." She explained. "It's not every day a psychiatrist gets arrested over an illegal arms deal." She slipped something into Dyson's hand. "Here. You're gonna need this." Lauren opened the door and walked out, leaving it open so Dyson and Selah could follow her.

Dyson looked in his palm and pocketed the object. He turned to Selah.

"Do you trust me?" He asked.

Selah refused to look at him. "Does it matter?" She replied.

Dyson scowled at her. He wanted her to trust him again but there was no time to try to convince her. "Follow my lead." He ordered.

Selah nodded and followed him out the door.

7


	26. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

Dyson walked out of the room, followed by Selah. Mist briefly surrounded her forming a cloak, the hood pulled low over her eyes. Bo stood up from a nearby chair and walked over to them as The Ash and two body guards walked through the opposite door. Selah couldn't see around to guards enough to notice Hale standing in the doorway behind them. She was too focused on the Ash to have noticed anyway.

The Ash stopped and clasped his hands in front of him. Dyson stood with Bo on his left while Selah stopped behind and to the right of him.

"Dyson." The Ash nodded in greeting, his voice low and airy. "I hear you have a Foundling. It's a very dangerous, ancient weapon. Not to mention highly illegal. You of all people should know the penalty for having such a weapon." He smiled dangerously.

"I would have brought it to you sooner, but Dr. Fisher got word of it and took it before I had the chance." He explained.

"Where is it?" He asked, looking around.

Dyson gestured at Selah behind him. He glanced at her for the first time since they left the examination room and noticed the cloak she hadn't been wearing before. She looked the part as she stood absolutely still ready to carry out any command.

Bo stepped up and offered, "We just got her back and Lauren wanted a chance to study her."

"Yes!" Lauren said smiling charmingly. "This is the last chance I'll have to study a human that has Fae abilities. It's a once in a lifetime opportunity." She said, explaining why Selah had been brought to her clinic instead of directly to the Ash.

The Ash studied Selah. Leaning forward slightly he sniffed. "It smells human enough." He commented dismissively. He had trouble believing that the small human before him could be even slightly dangerous.

Selah looked up and spoke for the first time, her glowing eyes barely visible from under her hood. She had been listening to them all talk about her like she wasn't in the room and decided if she was going to die, she was going to have some fun first. She smiled at him sadistically. "Perhaps a demonstration is in order?" She said directing her question to Dyson. Before he could answer, Selah quickly dissolved into mist, reappearing to the surprise of everyone right behind the Ash holding her sword across his throat. Selah thoroughly enjoyed the looks of shock and horror on the faces around her.

Dyson's hand shot out protectively in front of him. "Selah! No!" Dyson yelled at her. She looked at him and scowled. Dyson snapped his fingers and pointed to the spot she had previously occupied. She hesitated and for a moment Dyson thought she wasn't going to do as he commanded. Lowering her head in a brief nod, Selah dissolved into mist once again and reappeared near Dyson. He turned and gave her a low warning growl. Selah glared at him a moment before she averted her eyes and began to sulk.

The Ash adjusted his jacket, trying to regain some of his dignity as he asked "Where did you find it?"

"Among some of my things." Trick answered as he walked in.

The Ash turned around and raised an eyebrow. "Your things? I thought you destroyed them all." He questioned Trick.

"So did I." Trick replied. "Guess I missed one." He shrugged.

The Ash held his hand out to Dyson. Dyson took out the object Lauren had given him and handed it to him. The Ash held it up to the light. A beautiful stone of pure amber, the color of Selah's eyes, shone in the light.

The Ash closed his hand around the small stone as Dyson turned to Selah. "Into your stone." He commanded.

Selah blinked. The red glow vanished as she realized that the stone Dyson gave the Ash wasn't hers. She was confused. This was not what she expected. Knowing she had to give the Ash no reason to suspect anything, she glared at Dyson again before nodding. "As you command." She responded before disappearing.

The Ash turned to Trick. "You're sure this is the last one?" He asked the bar keep suspiciously.

Trick nodded. "It's the last one."

The Ash handed the stone to Trick. "Make sure you destroy it this time." He admonished as he walked to the door. He stopped and added, "Bring me the remnants when it's done."

"Of course" Trick reassured him.

Hale moved to the side of the door as the Ash and his guards walked out of the room. Quickly he closed it behind them.

"Well," Bo commented. "I'm glad that worked."

"For a minute there, I thought she was going to kill him." Hale said gesturing to the door the Ash had just walked through.

"So did I." Dyson admitted.

"Where is she?" Lauren asked as she looked around.

"Selah!" Dyson called. Mist pooled and formed as Selah appeared kneeling in front of him. Selah's breath caught in her throat as she watched Hale walked past her and over to Dyson. Clapping him on the shoulder Hale commented, "Now we just need to get her out of here without the Ash finding out."

Selah knew she should wait till she was given permission, but she couldn't help it. She quickly stood and took a step toward Hale before she was able to stop herself. She wanted to touch him to make sure he was real. Instead, she stood at attention and fixed her eyes on a spot just in front of Dyson's feet.

Dyson saw Selah's reaction to Hale. Try as she might, she couldn't hide the total shock of seeing him alive. He motioned for her to come to him. She walked over and stood in front of him.

Dyson put a hand gently on her shoulder as he pointed to Hale. "See? Not dead." He smugly told her. He took a few steps away to give them some room knowing it would take Selah a minute to process everything that had just happened.

Hale turned to look at her. "What?" Hale asked. "You thought I was dead?" Selah only nodded. "Ah hell no. I'm not that easy to kill." He joked.

Selah reached out, tentatively poking Hale's arm to make sure she wasn't imagining him. The look of amazement on her face made Hale chuckle. Dyson saw the instant relief as Selah realized that Hale hadn't died because of her.

Bo took this moment to sidle up to Trick. "I thought you said she was a murdering psychopath." She ginned at him.

"What?" Trick look at her in surprise. "Well, I still think she…"

Bo interrupted. "Lauren told me the piece of amber was your idea." She quietly told him.

Trick looked sideways at Lauren and glared. Turning to Bo he sighed. "After I heard what she did for Hale, that staying behind was her idea, and everything she went through because of it," He grudgingly admitted to her. "I had to do something."

Bo grinned as she put her arms around her grandfather, giving him a little squeeze. "She just better not make me regret it later." He warned her.

After Selah had processed everything, a thought occurred to her. Her expression turned to panic as she looked at Dyson. "Fisher took my blood." She told them.

"We know. What would he want with it?" Hale asked.

"Blood magic can be very powerful." Trick reminded him.

"But what does he want with your blood?" Dyson asked Selah.

Selah hesitated telling them. She was the last of her kind. This was her chance not to be alone anymore. But then Selah thought of what her life was like. What she was forced to do and go through to become what they made her. She didn't wish that on anyone.

"He gave it to Fahir." She told them.

Bo nodded. "Yeah. We found a receipt for it." She sarcastically replied.

"Fahir is a direct descendant of one of the Foundlings original creators. Maybe he has his great grandfather's research." Trick offered.

Dyson looked to her for an explanation.

"He plans on making more Foundlings." She explained. "If he has his great grandfather's research, my blood is the last thing he needs to make it happen."

"Your blood's the key?" Dyson asked surprise. Selah mutely nodded.

"That would make sense." Lauren explained. "Her blood has her DNA. Maybe there's something in her DNA that makes it all possible."

"Then we've got to track him down and stop him." Hale declared.

"But how are we going to do that?" Bo asked. "You and Dyson have been trying to track this guy for weeks with no luck."

Selah grinned mischievously. "That was before you had me." She told her.

"You said you couldn't track here because you didn't know the city well enough." Trick reminded her.

"But he took my blood. It's a part of me. I can track that anywhere." She smiled. She closed her eyes and reached out with her mind searching for it. "It's not in the area anymore." Her brow furrowed with confusion. "How can anyone move that quickly?" Selah asked in wonder as she opened her eyes.

Hale laughed as he moved to put an arm around her. Remembering what happened the last time he tried to touch her, he stopped and looked at her to see if it was ok. She shyly smiled at him and moved a little closer. "All right!" Hale grinned as he put his arm around her. Leading her away from the others, he told her, "Let me introduce you to a little thing called an airplane."

Selah stopped and turned toward Dyson. "Master?" She said asking for permission. "Do you want me to go after Fahir and stop him?"

"Do you want to?" He replied. His response confused her and she looked away. _Did he want more Foundlings?_

Dyson smiled at her. Gently he repeated his question. "Do you want to stop Fahir from making more Foundlings?"

Selah turned back to him. She realized he really wanted to know what she thought. She furrowed her brow and looked away again as she gathered her thoughts. "I know I'm the last of my kind and I don't like being alone." She started slowly. "But I have gone through and been forced to do many horrible things that I don't wish on anyone. Not even Fisher." She looked back at them as she finished. "I want to stop Fahir. I don't want anyone else to have to go through this."

Dyson gave her a reassuring smile. "I'll leave it to Hale to make all the arraignments. He can get you out of the city safely without the Ash finding out." He told her.

Beaming, Selah nodded her head. "As you command."

The End

6


	27. Editing Finished (I hope)

Editing Finished (I hope.)

Ok. I did a little more than just fixing mistakes. I couldn't help myself. I did add more detail to the story and internal though processes in a few places. Hopefully I made the story better. If you liked the story the first time and wouldn't mind reading it again even though there aren't any major changes, please feel free and enjoy. If you find any mistakes, PLEASE let me know. I really hate when I miss something that is glaringly obvious. If you have questions about why a character behaved a certain way or can think of a place where the story could use clarification or embellishment, or just have an idea of how the story might be improved, please let me know. It's the only way I can learn to write better.

Thank you everyone who has read this story. I am working on a follow up one, but it's a very slow process this time, so I cannot make any promises as to when it will be done, just know I am working on it as often as my life allows.


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